Dealing with Goblins
by Kaytori
Summary: Hoggle and the others won't come when Sarah calls, concerned for her friends she calls the Goblin King and invites him into her life. As the relationship grows so does a threat against the Labyrinth, well threats, the Goblin King has many enemies.
1. Chapter 1

**Dealing with Goblins**

* * *

**Disclaimer****: All Publicly Recognizable Characters, Settings, Ideas, etc. are the property of Jim Henson and Co. The Original Characters and Plot are the Property of the Author. The Author is in no way Associated with the Owners, Creators, or Producers of ****Jim Henson and Co**. No Copyright Infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter 01**

"Hoggle? I need you."

Sarah waited, but for the sixth night in a row the dwarf did not answer.

"Ludo, Sir Didymus, I need you."

Still, the only thing Sarah saw in the mirror was her own reflection.

It had been a week since her adventure in the labyrinth, and not once since the party had her friends answered her calls.

She swallowed. Her father and step-mother were out. She had told herself that if they did not answer tonight she would call him. She had to make sure her friends were alright; make sure it had not been a dream… She shook her hea. It had been real. It had to have been: there was no way she could have imagine a smell that horrible.

She had waited a whole week because that was the only time her parents would leave. And she dared not summon him while they were in the house.

She took a deep breath to steady herself.

"I wish the Goblin King would come and talk to me for twenty minutes - if he's not too busy - right now."

Nothing.

At first.

Then the air grew heavy, her bedroom doors blew open, a harsh wind swept through the room. Sarah closed her eyes and brought her arms up to protect her face from the harsh onslaught.

"I'm never too busy for you Sarah."

"Thanks for coming," she said. Sarah had decided that it would be wise to be polite. She did, after all, want something from him.

He raised an eyebrow at her cordiality, and his smirk grew.

"You have a favour to ask."

"I've tried calling my friends," she told him, gesturing to her mirror, "but they haven't come. Why?"

"That, my dear Sarah, would be because, as you so kindly put it after your victory, I 'have no power over you'. It took a great deal of effort on my part to allow everyone to attend your little party."

The one I wasn't invited to, his tone seemed to say.

Sarah opened her mouth and then closed it. She had had a whole week to dwell over the words the Goblin King had spoken. In all honesty, she had wished Toby away and had loved every second of her adventure. Excepting the Cleaners...and the bog.

"You mean that after you 'moved the stars and reordered time' you used even more of your power so that I could have a victory party with my friends?"

"Yes," hissed Jareth through gritted teeth, clearly not liking the 'victory party' part of her sentence.

"Thank you. That was…generous."

Jareth smiled, pleased that she realized the strain he had suffered for her happiness. He had hardly felt his bed for three days, he had been so exhausted.

"So, you're saying I can't see my friends unless you have power over me?"

Jareth noted the slight elevation in her voice.

"Would that really be so bad?"

"Yes."

Jareth frowned. The air in the bedroom rippled with displeasure.

Sarah continued to stare at the Goblin King, determined not to show any weakness.

"I'm not a monster, Sarah. Now, as to your friends...it would only take a very small amount of power. When you spoke those six words to me after you defeated me, you placed the magical equivalent to a restraining order against me. All you have to do is permanently lift it."

Sarah thought for a moment, trying to figure out any loopholes in the agreement he might take advantage of. Would he take her to the underground? Would he take her to his bed? She felt color rise to her cheeks and shook her head. They had been lies, immortal fae king fifteen year old brat. No way the offer had been real. Would he spy on her? Would she be able to send him away if she wanted to?

"What would that mean, exactly? Would you be able to whisk me away to the labyrinth again?"

"No, I would merely no longer be banished from your side. I would be able to come into your home, or wherever you may be, whenever I wish. But I would not have the power to take you back to my kingdom. There are rules, Sarah. A mortal may not enter my realm unless they wish it or are wished there. Or if I have far more power over them than what you will allow me."

Sarah frowned in thought. It could be a trick. He was powerful, who knew how far he would push his small amount of power over her? But…Toby had seemed happy after the incident; completely unharmed. If he had treated the infant so well maybe he really was not so bad. Still, what he had threatened Hoggle with…

"You'd be able to come by, uninvited, into my home, my bedroom...whenever you wanted?" she repeated.

Jareth frowned at the implied accusation. Again, the room seemed rippled with displeasure.

"If you think so little of me, perhaps it would be best if you had nothing to do with me or my kingdom."

He turned to the window, as if to go.

"No, wait!" shouted Sarah before she could stop herself. She simply couldn't stand the thought of never seeing her friends again.

Jareth turned to face her, his face impassive.

"About that peach: you drugged me. How do I know you won't do anything like that again?"

Jareth waved a gloved hand dismissively. "It was a harmless distraction. Distracting runners is my duty. I won't apologize for it."

"So you'll do it again?"

"If you run the Labyrinth again it is possible, otherwise, no Sarah I will not."

Sarah hesitated. Could she trust him? The alternative was never seeing her friends again. She had banished him from her side once, she supposed could find a way to do so again if need be.

She sighed and straightened her shoulders looking the king in the eyes. "Okay, so how do I lift the 'restraining order'?"

"Come now, Sarah, you must know the words by now."

Sarah hesitated a moment, deciding how best to phrase her wish.

"I wish the Goblin King was no longer banished from my side, right now."

Jareth smiled.

"I'll make the needed adjustments on your vanity mirror."

"Thank you."

Jareth nodded, strode across the room, and placed his hand against the mirror's surface. A few moments later, he gave a nod of satisfaction and leaned back, turning to Sarah.

"Do-" The brunette ran past him and sat at her vanity. "...ne," finished Jareth.

"Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus, I need you."

Ludo and Sir Dydimus appeared in her mirror, and Sarah's face almost spilt in half from her grin her eyes scanned the mirror looking for Hoggle but thought nothing of his delay he was probably spraying fairies. She decided to focus on the two who were currently looking at her with matching smiles

"My Lady, it is good to see you again!"

"Sawah back," chimed Ludo joyfully.

"What is his majesty doing in your bedchambers? Shall I challenge him for your honour?"

Sarah chuckled as the air behind her rippled with power.

"No need for that. He just fixed my mirror so I could talk to you guys again. Where's Hoggle?"

"His majesty has thrown him into an oubliette."

Sarah's smile vanished.

"Could I call you guys back in a few minutes?"

"Milady, are you certain you wish to be alone with the king?"

Jareth rolled his eyes.

"I'll be fine, Sir Didymus. We'll catch up soon."

She rose from her vanity, every muscle in her body tense as she rounded on her guest.

"Explain," she ordered.

Sarah instantly wished she could take back the word when Jareth's eyes narrowed. The air in the room became suddenly thick, making it oddly difficult to breathe. She staggered back and took deep, gasping breaths, but still was not getting enough air. She placed her hand on her vanity for support. Fainting in front of the Goblin King was something she really did not want to do.

"Never take that tone with me, Sarah."

Abruptly, the air was back to normal, and Sarah took a deep breath.

"Why have you thrown Hoggle into an oubliette?"

"He helped you against my express orders."

"So did Sir Didymus and Ludo."

"I never ordered them not to help you. Though they are my subjects, they are not actively in my employ and I never gave them direct orders not to help you. Hoggle is another matter. No need to be so livid, Sarah, in another week I'll let him out. I'll increase his work load for another month, but that will be all. I could do far, far worse."

Sarah forced herself to calm down. Hoggle was in no real danger, but he was been punished for helping her. There had to be something she could do.

"How about a trade?"

Jareth raised a vulcan-like eyebrow in amusement.

"A trade, dear Sarah? And what have you to offer?" he asked, his eyes traveling up and down her body.

Sarah ignored the leer. She needed to focus.

"Let Hoggle out with no increased labour, and you can have another shot at me. I'll run the Labyrinth again. If I win, I get off scot free. If I lose, I'll become your servant for a week. And only one week. It'll have to be during spring break though, since I can't miss school. It will also give me time to come up with an excuse so my parents don't worry."

Jareth's smile became positively evil, and Sarah nearly took back her offer. Nonetheless, she stood her ground. She had to do everything in her power to help Hoggle: he had done no less for her. Still, Jareth's sudden joy at the prospect of having her for a servant was disconcerting. She thought a few safeguards were in order.

"A few other conditions tough, you can't make me to do anything that goes against my conscience or puts me in harm's way, and you can't order me into your bed."

"I would never give such an order, nor would I allow harm to come to you. As for forcing you into my bed," he hissed, "I take only willing women."

"So do we have a deal?"

"Seems rather…unfair. No matter the result, you get what you want."

"What can I say? I had a good teacher. And this isn't a wager, it's a trade. A second chance for you to win in return for Hoggle."

Jareth's smile became predatory.

"I'm glad you learned a few things from your adventure. Still…"

"We both know you want another shot at me far more then you want to punish Hoggle."

"True," he said, languidly looking around at the contents of her room. His eyes fell on Sir Lancelot's former resting place. "But we also know you want to help your friend far more then I 'want another shot at you'."

"Spring break is two weeks long," said Sarah quickly. "If you let Hoggle out whether I win or lose, if I do lose, I'll be your servant for two weeks instead of just one." An old bargaining trick she had learned: offer less than what you are willing to give, so that it can seem as if you are compromising when you're really not. Though it really didn't matter. Sarah had no intention of losing.

"Clever, clever, Sarah. You've learned a few tricks," purred Jareth, caressing her name. A shiver coursed through Sarah's spine. "Very well, I will allow you to run the Labyrinth for your friend, however, even if you win, you will come and serve me for one week. But if you lose, you come and serve me for two weeks. No matter the result, Hoghead goes free with no additional punishment."

He disappeared so suddenly, and Sarah jumped when she felt hot breath on her ear.

"That way, it will be win-win for both of us."

_'He smells good… Bad Sarah, bad! He's the enemy! Focus on Hoggle and what you're going to do to get him out!'_

She turned to face Jareth, glaring at his irritating smirk, which only served to make it broaden. Jareth thought she was beautiful when angered, though he'd have much preferred her anger to be directed elsewhere.

Sarah gave up her attempts at intimidation, taking a few steps back to put some distance between them before she considered her opponent's counter-offer. The bargain was fair and guaranteed Hoggle's freedom but she hated the prospect of serving Jareth for any amount of time. Still…it would be a chance to see the Underground again. Jareth would not work her twenty-four seven, right? It might be nice to walk through the Labyrinth without anything really important at stake. And with her safety and return guaranteed. And yet still, there no telling what humiliation Jareth would put her through. She could go back to her old offer; a wager instead. Hoggle would only go free if she won. As a result, she would only become his servant if she lost. But that would mean risking Hoggle's freedom. She had barely won last time and that had been with her friends.

"Will I have my friends to help me?"

"No, not this time. My subjects will be allowed to speak to you, even give you directions, but they will not be allowed to accompany you. They will, in short, only be allowed to assist you to the same extent the worm did. And should Hogweed or anyone else insist on helping you against my express orders, they shall be thrown in an oubliette and you will lose one hour."

Sarah considered her chances. It was best not to risk Hoggle's freedom. Jareth was bound to change things around and make them more difficult, and without help...

"One more condition then. If I'm not allowed help this time, then you can't hamper me with your tricks, so no peach dreams or anything like that."

"Very well," sighed Jareth. There went half of his plans.

"Alright then, we have a deal."

She extended her hand. Jareth smiled and took her hand in his, giving it a firm shake.

"It'll have to wait until tomorrow though," continued Sarah. "I'm babysitting Toby tonight. I'll meet you at the park at ten, at the bridge. Do you know where that is?"

"I do," he told her with a nod.

"Since Hoggle will be free either way, could you let him out tonight?"

"So you can summon him with your mirror and give him a kiss?"

Sarah blinked at his answer, and wondered not for the first time about the line from the book telling that the Goblin King had fallen in love with the girl…and then there were the words he had said to her before she won…

Wait a second.

"Earlier, you claimed that I said those six words to you after I won. Does that mean I had already won at that point?"

"You won as soon as you set foot in the castle. That was the challenge: to get to the castle in the center of the Labyrinth to win back your brother."

"…Oh. So, what you said: did you mean that?"

Jareth took a sudden interest in the window. His heart could not stand another refusal.

"I will release Hoggle now. I'm sure you'll enjoy each other's company."

And he was gone. In the blink of an eye. One second he was there, the next, poof.

Sarah waited a few moments, giving Jareth time to free Hoggle, before sitting down at her vanity and summoning her friends.

"Ludo, Sir Didymus, Hoggle, I need you."

To her relief, all three answered.

"Sarah," wailed Hoggle. "What did you do?"

oo0oo

Sarah sat on the railing of the bridge. She had already cleared things with her father and Irene, had told them she would be spending the day with a friend, and that she would be back around eleven o'clock that night. Irene had been thrilled to hear Sarah would be going out for the day and had even helped her pack a lunch. "Well, two lunches. One for her and one for Jareth. Sarah had accepted both because she really hand't wanted to explain why there was no chance of her sharing a meal with Jareth, and because she would need the second for dinner. In addition, she had packed rope, a flashlight, and granola bars.

"Ready, Sarah?" asked a silken, masculine voice suddenly from her left.

The brunette jumped to her feet in a panic before rounding on the transgressor and shouting.

"Don't do that! You nearly scared me to death!"

"Then perhaps you should give up now, Precious," he suggested, softly cupping her cheek. "I'd hate for you to meet with such an end, or any end for that matter."

"No way, bring it on, Goblin King."

"As you wish," he replied.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and Sarah felt a swirl of magick. The next thing she knew, she was standing on a familiar hill looking out at the Labyrinth.

"It's beautiful," she murmured, more to herself then the land's king.

"I'm glad you think so."_ You'll be ruling it by my side someday_, his mind finished. "You remember the rules?"

"Thirteen hours, only verbal assistance allowed."

"Excellent. Your time begins…now."

Sarah began walking towards the Labyrinth, not sparing the blond creature behind her another glance. It only took a few moments to reach the outer walls. She smiled as she looked up. It was like seeing a friend again. Now, how had she gotten in last time? Hoggle had told her to ask the right questions.

"How do I get into the Labyrinth?"

She heard a groan to her right and turned to see a pair of stone doors opening, moaning as they did so.

"Thank you," she said cheerfully as she walked through the entrance. She looked around seeing the seemingly endless straight hall of stone. "Last time I went right, so I guess I head left this time," she said to herself as she started off.

After a few minutes of walking she held, out her right hand so it brushed against the wal. If she came across an opening this time, she would find it.

"Aha!" she exclaimed a few seconds later.

"Careful not to go right!" said a small and familiar voice.

Sarah turned.

"It's you!"

Indeed it was him. The little blue worm from her first trip.

"I don't understand. I thought you lived in that direction." She said pointing the way she had come.

"Sometimes I do. Some parts of the Labyrinth stay where they are, other parts move and change often. My home and the path in front of it are one of those things that are always changing."

"Oh, and I thought everything was always changing around here. Why don't I want to go right?"

"Because it'll take you straight to that horrible castle."

Sarah's jaw dropped. She had gone through all that for nothing? She could have finished running the Labyrinth in a few minutes? Well, if she had, she and Hoggle wouldn't have become friends and she never would have met Ludo and Sir Didymus, so it really was a good thing. But still...

"I want to go to the castle!" she exclaimed. "Thank you for the directions!" she shouted as she turned right.

"Are you sure?" shouted the worm, finding it hard to believe that anyone would want to go to that awful place. But Sarah didn't respond because she was too far away.

oo0oo

"No!" yelled Jareth, jumping up from his throne and throwing his crystal ball against the nearest wall, it shattered on impact coating the floor below in glitter and shards.

"Sarah, you foolish girl! Did it not occur to you that there is more than one castle in the Underground?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Dealing with Goblins**

* * *

**Disclaimer****: All Publicly Recognizable Characters, Settings, Ideas, etc. are the property of Jim Henson and Co. The Original Characters and Plot are the Property of the Author. The Author is in no way Associated with the Owners, Creators, or Producers of ****Jim Henson and Co**. No Copyright Infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter 02**

The hall Sarah now walked was dark. There was a stone roof over her head and torches lined the wall, casting light for her to see.

Sarah hugged herself as another shiver went up her spine. This wasn't the Labyrinth she knew. The Labyrinth was scary, but this place...this was dark, creepy and...well, evil. Both had malicious airs about them, but the Labyrinth's had a more playful, easy-going one. Like an annoying prankster who didn't know when to quit. This area of the Labyrinth was joyful, as if it found true happiness in the pain of others.

The air was thick and heavy; difficult to inhale. And cold. It seemed to not only be sucking the warmth from her body, but from her thoughts. She tried to think of her last trip here; the happy moments to distract her and give her courage. But she was having trouble remembering her first meeting with Ludo. She could remember her anger at the smaller goblins who had been tormenting him clearly, but she could not seem to remember talking with him after. She knew she had, but the memory was fuzzy. She remembered the fear when she ran from the cleaners in vivid detail. But she could not remember Hoggle saving her from the giant metal knight in any detail.

"Maybe coming this way was a bad idea."

"Really? Why do you say that?"

Sarah turned at the voice to see a dark-haired man with ice blue eyes staring at her. He was leaning against the wall a few feet ahead.

"Who are you?" asked Sarah, muscles tensing.

From what she could make out in the dim light, his skin was perfect, and his eyes seemed to be looking inside Sarah as opposed to at her.

He was thin, and gave off the same air of strength Jareth did. He was not, thankfully, wearing tight pants though. Simple yet elegant black trousers, a loose blue silk shirt that matched his eyes. He was overall incredibly handsome and therefore not to be trusted. No one looked that good unless they had magic, which meant he was Fae, like Jareth.

"My name is Alamir, and you are?"

"Sarah."

"Sarah," he repeated, tasting her name, letting it roll off his tongue. "As beautiful as its owner. You seem lost. Allow me to escort you to my home," he offered, removing himself from the wall and walking towards her. "I have maps that may be of use to you."

He held out his hand for her to take.

"No! I mean - thank you, but no. I think I'll just retrace my steps."

"Not possible, I'm afraid."

He stretched out his arm and the torches flared. The hall was cast in a bright light, and Sarah brought her hands to her face to protect her eyes against the sudden onslaught of light. When her eyes adjusted, she turned to see that behind her was now a dead end.

"No!" she shouted in frustration as she ran towards the wall and started pounding it with her fist, hoping it was merely some sort of illusion.

It wasn't.

She turned to Alamir.

"Open it."

"No. You have two choices, Sarah: come with me or stay here and die of thirst."

Sarah turned back to the wall. Instead of blindly pounding the stone, she pushed against the bricks it was made of, hoping one would act as a trigger and open the wall again.

"That won't work."

Sarah stiffened: that voice was close, very close. Less than two feet away close. She turned, pressing herself against the wall, trying to get as much space between her and the creature as possible.

Alamir smiled at her quickened breaths and wide eyes. He leaned forward, resting the palm of his left hand against the wall just over her shoulder. His right hand was inching towards her face.

"I won't hurt you, Sarah."

Suddenly, a leather-clad hand wrapped its fingers around Alamir's wrist.

"No, you won't as you will not be touching her."

Jareth gave Alamir's wrist a twist and threw him against the wall on Sarah's right.

"Jareth, still alive and well?" hissed Alamir as he pried himself from the wall. "I thought I heard rumours that you had been injured by an assassin."

"The idiot your father sent?" Jareth chuckled, crossing his arms. "An incompetent cretin, much like his employer."

Deciding Alamir was not a threat, Jareth turned from his opponent to Sarah. Slowly he reached out and caressed her jaw his index and pinky finger making their way to her neck to check her pulse which was rapid but not erratic. His eyes scanned her wrist looking for any bruises. "Are you hurt?"

"No, no," she panted trying to calm herself. "I'm fine. This isn't the Labyrinth, is it?"

Jareth nodded. "Some paths will take you to different kingdoms. Alamir is a Sluagh, a type of…demon, I suppose, is the word you might use, or evil spirit. This path would have taken you to a portal which, in turn, would have taken you directly to the castle in the Sluagh capital city. In future," he chided gently with a hint of a chuckle, "you will kindly stay within the boundaries of my kingdom."

"I didn't know!" she yelled taking a step to the side and losing contact with his hand. "Why didn't you post a sign or something?"

"I placed the worm and his home directly in front of the path – Alamir, if your hand gets any closer to that knife, you will lose a very small but very treasured piece of your lower anatomy. Am I clear?"

Sarah looked past Jareth to see Alamir's hand withdrawing from the small of his back and come to rest at his side.

_'How did Jareth know?'_ she wondered, looking up at the mismatched eyes.

"Come along, Sarah. You still have to finish your run."

Sarah turned back to the wall that had been blocking her path only to find it was gone. She felt Jareth's hand on her shoulder as he guided her back to the Labyrinth.

"Thank you. What was that about an assassin?"

"I know this is hard to believe, Sarah, but there are people out there who wish to end my life and seize control of the Labyrinth. They are under the impression that if I can do it, so can they. Also, many rulers find me to be 'an annoying, obnoxious, self-centered, self-righteous prick'."

"Why?"

"I've no idea. I think I'm rather charming."

"No, why would they want to rule the Labyrinth? I mean, goblins aren't the most…powerful or obedient creatures."

"They have little to no interest in most of the goblin population, and I'll have you know that my army is a force to be feared."

"Jareth, I fought your army in the city. They weren't scary."

"I wasn't trying to kill you, Sarah. The reserve force is a joke, meant to help with the runners I have no desire to kill."

"You kill runners?"

"Occasionally. I have a tendency to show my displeasure to particularly bad examples of parenthood. Sometimes I achieve this by ending their life, though not always. One runner has been a guest of mine for some fifty years, though he often wishes he isn't. Currently the record for surviving my displeasure is five hundred and two years, though it may be less, I haven't check in on Miss Anna in a decade."

"Five…hundred years?" gasped Sarah. "How? What did she do?"

"The Underground grants some of its citizens long life, the Labyrinth more so. Though every creatures still has to eat. Last I checked, Anna was insane and animalistic, but still had the presence of mind to capture and breed rats for food."

Sarah stopped walking and backed away from Jareth. "Why?"

Jareth turned and sneered at the girl. "Because as soon as she wished her daughter away, the child became mine. By having the audacity to attempt to reclaim the child she attempted to become a threat to the girl." Jareth's face darkened, his lips pulled back in a snarl and he slowly advanced towards Sarah, who found her legs frozen in place. The hall darkened as power coiled around the Goblin King, his eyes mere slits of pure malice that glared at the raven haired girl before him.

Sarah's breathing quickened as she felt something inside of her burn. Only this wasn't the hint of arousal she now knew she had felt on her last trip. There was nothing pleasant about this. The Goblin Kind didn't look like a dark, menacing, ethereal being anymore. He didn't looked like a being at all. Just maliciousness given a humanoid shape. Before, he had blended into the shadows, now he was them. It was impossible to tell where the shadows ended and the king began. The only solid things were the teeth and eyes, and they were burning her soul.

"If I had believed for one moment that you would ever have harmed Toby, Precious, I would have tricked you into giving yourself to me or made sure you returned to your world a bloody disembowelled husk. No matter how young or pretty you were. No one, threatens a child in front of me. I am not merely cruel, I am protective of those in my power, and vindictive: anyone who makes themselves a threat in any way, shape, or from to my charges in my land forfeit their lives, their sanity and their souls for my judgment. The only reason Alamir still lives is because he threatened you outside the Labyrinth, and didn't touch you. Granted, he attempted to, but the treaty I have with the other kingdoms is quite specific. No harm can be done to anyone on neutral territory. And he did not harm you."

Suddenly the darkness was gone and Jareth stood above her smiling gently, twirling a lock of her hair in his fingers.

'_This guy has worse mood swings than the most hormonal of pregnant women.'_

"Then why did he reach for a knife?"

"Obviously he thought I was distracted enough that he could slay me. If he had managed to kill me, I would not have been in any shape to seek vengeance, now would I? You see, Precious, I follow the rules. Alamir and his cretin father do not."

He let her hair fall before turning and walking down the corridor.

"Come along, Precious."

Sarah turned and started following.

"So, why does Alamir's dad want to kill you?" asked Sarah, desperately trying to fill the awkward silence.

"Aside from the powerful army, the Labyrinth is a source of great magic. It actually provides a great deal of the magic for the entire Underground. Much like your Amazon rainforest provides most of your planet's oxygen."

"Wow," she said, pausing. "Um, thank you for coming to get me."

"You have but to call my name, Sarah. I would have been there sooner if you had. That hall is a sort of limbo; an in-between place. The Sluagh people have as much control over it as I do, that made it…difficult to track you."

"But calling your name will help?" she asked sceptically.

"Names, Precious, have power."

He stopped walking and looked around. Sarah followed suit and saw that they were out of the hall. The stone walls now sported a layer of glitter and there was no ceiling.

"You should be safe now. Well, as safe as one can be when running the Labyrinth. You have twelve hours and thirty two minutes remaining. Tick tock, tick tock," taunted Jareth before vanishing.

Sarah spotted the worm who was still there just off the her right. Jareth had brought her back to the edge of his kingdom.

She turned to address the worm who was still sitting outside his home.

"Excuse me, I never caught your name."

"Ah, you're okay," chimed the worm, smiling at the sight of her. "Glad to hear it. And the name's William."

"Next time, William, do you think you could mention that this path will take you to the Sluagh castle? I though you meant the goblin castle."

"Ah, well that explains it. I was wondering why anyone would want to go there. Right, I'll be sure to mention that to the next person I see. Good luck!"

"Thanks!"

oo0oo

Sarah glanced at her watch. She'd been walking for five hours. She had come across the helping hands again, this time she had told them to take her up. She had been rather pleased with her decision: it had brought her to a beautiful apple tree.

It was about a half meter in diameter, and taller then her house. The apples were bright red, and even from her vantage point on the ground, they looked succulent. She looked around, but oddly enough, didn't spot any on the ground. She looked back up, wishing she could eat one, but she'd learned her lesson. It did look like a beautiful spot to rest though, so she sat down with her back against the tree and took out her lunch.

"Excuse me," said a feminine voice from over Sarah's shoulder, "but how would you like it if some stranger came and started leaning against you?"

Sarah jumped to her feet and turned to the source to see a green face poking out of the tree.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were there. You're a dryad, right?"

"I am," said the woman as she stepped out of her tree. Her skin was green and her hair made out of twigs and leaves. Her body was lithe and her movements dainty but her eyes were hard as they stared at the intruder.

"Well, I'm sorry I disturbed you. It just looked like such a beautiful place to rest, but I'll go if you want."

The dryad's eyes softened at the flattery. "No, you may as well stay, just don't touch me. Or tear off some of my fruit."

"I brought my own food," assured Sarah, holding up her backpack. She took out a sandwich. "By the way, my name's Sarah. What's yours?"

"Alyssa. Are you a runner?"

"Yes."

"Were you out on a picnic or something when you whished away…who did you wish away?"

"My little brother, Toby. But I already got him back. A dwarf named Hoggle helped me and Jareth threw him into an oubliette." Sarah went on to explain her situation, finding it nice to have someone to talk to. Maybe the dryad could be convinced to help her out.

"So, we're allowed to give you directions? Hm, the assistance I can give you is limited. Dryads can't go far from our trees. The birds that rest on my branches are another matter. Hold on a minute."

She leaned back against the trunk of her tree and sank into it.

Sarah started packing up her lunch while she waited, wondering if she could trust the dryad. Well, it wasn't as if she would have a better idea of where to go otherwise.

"You'll want to take that path there," announced Alyssa suddenly as her head poked out of the tree. The dryad gestured with her head in the direction of a path to the right. "Take the third right, fifth left, then you'll come to two doors. Take the right one. The birds say they saw a runner take that door and a few hours later they were in the middle of the Goblin City. The door will take you underground though so they can't give you any more details."

"That's alright, I'll find the way. Thank the birds for me, and thank you for your help."

"My pleasure."

Sarah started off in the direction the dryad had suggested. As soon as the young brunette disappeared from sight, Alyssa heard a sharp, masculine voice.

"You hate me, don't you?"

Alyssa turned to see her king glaring at her.

"Majesty," she said with a bow of her head as she stepped out of her tree. "I don't hate you, however you know what they say about a woman scorned."

"Revenge, Alyssa?" sneered the Goblin King. "I thought such pettiness beneath you."

The dryad turned to face her king, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Oh, come now, no need to be melodramatic. It's just a little humiliation. You getting beat by a fifteen year old human girl not once, but twice, is priceless. Can you blame me if I wish to help her along?"

"She won't win."

"As I understand it, she's managed to make half your usual tricks illegal."

Her smile turned into a smirk as she crept closer to the Goblin King. She placed a hand on his chest and stared up at him.

"You can't put her into a dream world." Her smile warped into a Cheshire cat grin as she stepped away. "If that is all my lord." She bowed at the waist and melted back into her tree.

Sarah, meanwhile, followed the dryad's instructions and soon found the door. She opened it to find a dark tunnel. Grateful she had thought to pack a flashlight, she brought it out when she heard a voice.

"Don't use that."

Sarah jumped and turned to face the speaker.

"Jareth! Don't do that!"

The Goblin King smiled. He loved it when she called him by his name.

"Don't use your flashlight, Sarah. You'll miss out on something…quite beautiful."

"Thanks for the advice, but I think I'll go with the flashlight," replied Sarah with a roll of her eyes. Like she was really going to stumble around in a dark cave. "If that's all, I'll just be going."

She quickly turned from the king to the doorway and as soon as she was through, closed the door in his face. She walked for five minutes before deciding that maybe it would not hurt to turn off her flashlight, just to see what Jareth was on about. Although she felt she could not trust him, the fact was, he had never actually lied to her. Well, flat-out lied to her.

She turned off her flashlight. At first nothing happened, but after several seconds, she noticed the walls and ceiling were glowing. Little globes of wiggling light. Some were blue, some were yellow, green, orange, violet, even pink. It was beautiful. The glow intensified as the seconds ticked by. Soon the light was bright enough for her to see.

"Wow." On closer inspection she realised the globes were moving because they were made up of tiny worms.

"Hello?" called Sarah wondering if they spoke. On hearing no reply she shrugged and continued to stare in wonder at the sight before remembering that she had a deadline. She would have to come back here when she didn't have one of those hanging over her head.

Was she starting to look forward to her spring break when she would be Jareth's servant? She shook her head. She was looking forward to any breaks he might grant her where she could get away from the castle and explore the Labyrinth. If he even gave her one.

She walked another ten minutes until she reached a large cavern. The multi-coloured globes were still glowing and opposite to her were three doors.

"Which one should I choose?"

"They'll all take you to the city," said a familiar voice. Sarah took a deep breath to calm herself before turning to face her opponent.

"But if you take the middle one," continued Jareth. "You'll arrive a few yards short of the castle. I must warn you though, it will not be a pleasant trip. Possibly even dangerous and I may not be able to protect you."

"I don't need your protection. It can't be all that bad."

"Oh, it can't?" asked Jareth, his voice becoming cold and harsh. "You've done some research since your first trip. Tell me, what is a Labyrinth?"

"It's like a maze, only with no dead ends. There's only one path in a Labyrinth."

"Does that sound like my Labyrinth, Sarah?"

"No. This place is full of different paths and dead ends."

"Nonetheless, this is a Labyrinth, Sarah, and there is only one path out of this place. Think, Precious, what is the Labyrinth's purpose?"

"Traditionally they're meditation tools. Or in the case of the Greeks, a challenge."

Jareth nodded.

"Exactly. Now, Precious," he continued as he started to advance towards her. Sarah continued to stare coolly at him, determined not to show any fear. "How did the Labyrinth challenge you? How did it change you?"

"It made me grow up."

"Precisely. You thought the world unfair, the Labyrinth made you accepting of the fact. You even learned to use it to your advantage. You were afraid of monsters, yet you ran towards the cries of your rock-controlling friend. You lived in a dream world, yet you ran from the one I gave you. You were selfish, placing more worth on your toys and bears than your brother, yet when you remembered him, you called all your treasures 'junk' and ran towards the city.

"There is only one way out of my Labyrinth, Sarah. Growth. The Labyrinth pushes the runner to face hard truths about who and what they are. The darker and nastier the runner, the darker and nastier the way out."

"So I'm not the first beat the Labyrinth?"

"No, though it is rare. You are, however, the first to befriend the inhabitants; to truly appreciate this land's beauty and use it to your advantage. You're a rare creature, Sarah." He reached out and brushed hair from her face. "This is a shortcut. To advance so much in a short time, you will be pushed…" He paused and cocked his head to the side, thinking, "...and possibly crushed. Literally." His gaze shifted to her eyes. "The Labyrinth is not always kind. Your innocence protected you last time. But no one has ever run this place twice."

"I'm not backing down, Jareth. I can take whatever your Labyrinth throws at me."

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

He stepped back and waved his hand at the middle door. It swung open with a groan. He turned to Sarah reaching out he traced a finger along her jaw line, while Sarah wondered why she was letting him touch her, even if he did make her feel warm inside.

"Well, Sarah? Will you go on? Or give up now?" His smile widened. "I promise, I can be a very pleasant master."

Sarah turned from the king to the door and walked through.


	3. Chapter 3

**Dealing with Goblins**

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**Disclaimer****: All Publicly Recognizable Characters, Settings, Ideas, etc. are the property of Jim Henson and Co. The Original Characters and Plot are the Property of the Author. The Author is in no way Associated with the Owners, Creators, or Producers of ****Jim Henson and Co**. No Copyright Infringement is intended.

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**Chapter 03**

Sarah looked around at her new surroundings which where much like her old ones, only not as pretty. There weren't as many worms, and the worms that were there were all a dull orange-y yellow. She sighed and started walking. The further she walked, the darker the tunnel became, and she finally pulled out her flashlight. She jumped at a scraping noise further ahead. Gathering her courage, she started walking slowly and quietly towards the sound. The sound stopped as Sarah got close.

"Who's there?" came a nasally voice.

Sarah continued to walk towards the voice.

"My name's Sarah. What's yours?" she asked as her light shone onto a creature she had never seen before. It was female with shoulder length hair, and leathery, brownish-green skin. And it was tall. Though it was sitting nowm Sarah could tell it would reach about eight feet should it decide to stand. The…thing - Sarah had no idea what it was - wore grimy brown pants and a red shirt that looked more like brown due to all the dirt and grime on it.

"I's Finn."

"Are you hurt?" asked Sarah, seeing the creature's ankle was twisted awkwardly.

"I's hurt, can't walk. You kill me?" it hissed.

Sarah shook her head. "No, I'm not gonna kill you. I'll help you, if you want."

Finn eyed her critically, then shrugged and held out a hand. Sarah took hold and, with a bit of struggling and grunting against gravity, managed to hoist the creature to its feet. The woman leaned on Sarah, but fortunately had one fully functioning foot to put her weight on.

"How far are we from your home?" asked Sarah.

"Half hour, usually. More now."

"Then we'd best get started," said Sarah, wondering vaguely what lesson the Labyrinth was trying to teach. She shrugged the thought aside and asked, "When we get to your home could you give me directions to the Castle in the Goblin City?"

The woman nodded. "Sure, sure, I tell you where to go."

Finn was right: it took them about one hour to reach her home. The trip, fortunately, was pleasant, even fun. Finn was a bit hard of hearing and even standing right next to the woman Sarah found herself raising her voice. But Finn was an excellent travelling companion with a few good stories. And she was willing to discuss her Monarch.

"The King's been king since before I's was born. Goblins try rebellion on occasion only cause they're bored. Sometimes the King will humour them and fight other, times he'll just give 'em what they want."

"He just gives them what they want?" asked Sarah, perplexed. That didn't sound like the Goblin King.

"Aye, well, most of the time they're rebelling for more turnips or apples. Tha King's got no problem givin' 'em food."

"Ah," replied Sarah quietly.

The teenager was grateful to have a guide, injured though she was. The tunnels and alternate paths were numerous and Sarah knew she'd have been lost without Finn. Eventually, the pair managed to reach the elder…creature's home: a set of small caverns. Finn told Sarah the way to the kitchen and once the woman was seated at a table, she sighed contently and pointed to another room.

"Crutches in there, get them for me, I tell you how to get to castle."

Sarah nodded and went through the door. She heard an odd creaking noise below her, and no sooner did she realise the location of the sound, than she fell. She cried out before the water she fell into covered her face and poured into her open mouth. She felt her throat burn from the cold water. Sarah flayed her arms and felt stone on all sides. Applying pressure, she pushed herself up and expelled the liquid from her with several coughs.

"Finn! Finn! Can you hear me?"

Sarah glanced below her to see her flashlight. It was well over four stories down, and the water was freezing. She breathed deep and shouted again, but there was nothing. Well, Finn was hard of hearing and the opening looked so far, maybe Finn couldn't hear? Sarah removed her pack, manoeuvred the straps so it was strapped to her front and not her back then pressed her back against the wall. She then applied pressure to the wall opposite her with her feet. Maybe she could crawl up. She managed two steps, then she slid down. The walls were covered in moss. She tried a further two times with the same results. To save energy, she maintained her position of pressing her back and feet to the walls so she wouldn't have to tread water, and raised herself out as much as she could.

The flash light wasn't giving her much light due to how far down it was, but she was grateful the water was so clear, allowing her any light. As bad as the situation was, it would be far worse in total darkness.

Sarah didn't know how much time passed as she waited for Finn to come. Sure, Jareth had said no help other than directions, but surely he wouldn't begrudge Finn tossing her a rope? If he did, Sarah could forfeit her victory, rather than have Finn tossed in the bog. Chancing that he would be fair was better than giving up. At the very least her pride could handle that. Eventually, well after Sarah was certain her lips, if visible, would be blue, she heard Finn call down.

"You dead yet?"

'_Okay not what I was hoping to hear.' _

"Finn, what are you talking about? Could you toss me a rope?"

"When you drowned, I fish you out! You'll be tasty then!" cackled Finn.

Sarah suddenly felt warmer as her heart rate increased with a rush of adrenalin.

"Finn, what's going on!"

"Finn hungry, food taste good when drowned. You drown soon, then Finn eat!"

_'Okay I need to get out of here. Or I could forfeit.' _She shook her head._ 'Jareth said this is a test. There's always a way out. There was a way with the Cleaners, there was a way out of the oubliette and there was a way out of the bog. Granted the last two were because I had friends, but the fact remains. The Labyrinth isn't trying to kill me, only test me. And Jareth's probably watching. He won't let me die. Though he did say he may not be able to help me here.'_

Sarah shook her head again. This was a test. There was always a way out, she would find it, and soon. She had to. She couldn't feel her little toes anymore, and she was pretty sure that was a bad sign.

Decision made, she looked at her flashlight still shining below her. If she swam down, and there was no source of air nearby, she would never get back up in time to breathe, especially with her clothes and pack weighing her down. Well, her shoes with all the rubber on the soles wouldn't, but still, they and her jeans would make moving difficult. She'd have to lose them. She could keep her shirt and underwear but the rest would have to go.

She began to remove her shoes and pants, keeping her pack on: the weight would help her reach to bottom quicker. Taking a deep breath, Sarah started her descent.

Once Sarah managed to grasp her flashlight, she shrugged off her pack and looked around. She almost smiled when she saw another cave, and swam towards it.

Her lungs were starting to tighten and burn. If she didn't get to air soon, she knew she'd die. Sarah managed to make it a few feet past the entrance, and glanced up to see nothing but rock. Suddenly, a strong current from another tunnel to her left sent her whirling uncontrollably through the underwater caverns.

Sarah's throat was burning; the pain in her chest intensifying. She wondered briefly if this was really worth avoiding being Jareth's servant. She decided it wasn't. It was, however, worth avoiding his smug and condescending face. She was his equal and she was going to beat this.

She hoped.

She kept a death grip on her flashlight as the water carried her, bringing her arms up to her head as her fragile body was banged against the rocks. After hitting her back particularly hard, she opened her mouth to cry out only to have water enter her lungs. As the world started to darken, she felt the water push her up a stone hill.

She was out! She forced herself to get onto her knees, and took a few haggard breaths, and started coughing up water. She tried to remember a time when she had been in more pain. She felt like her heart was trying to escape her chest; that a construction crew was trying to put a highway through her skull, and every breath she took felt like someone was force-feeding her hot coals.

She crawled forwards a few feet before collapsing and rolling onto her back. The cold was secondary to the pain caused by her near drowning, but eventually, when the pain had lessened, she rolled over and crawled until she was completely out of the water. It helped that the current was still pushing her in the right direction. The stone had a thin layer of sand covering it, and there were a number of pale yellow glow worms. It was like an underground beach.

Once completely out of the water, she lay down on her side. She knew she could have water in her lungs still, and that lying on her back would allow the water to spread, possibly drowning her.

She felt her eyes close, and prayed she wouldn't roll onto her stomach or back, because she couldn't stay awake any longer.

Sarah didn't know when she awoke, but her time couldn't be up because Jareth wasn't around gloating. She might not know much about the man, but she knew he'd come to wallow in his victory as soon as her time was up. She forced herself to her feet, and started walking towards four openings in the cavern wall. Sighing, she closed her eyes, and spun in place, then started walking towards the one she was facing.

She hadn't been walking long when she started to hear giggling, only it wasn't the mischievous, childlike giggling of the goblins. No, this was malicious, and made Sarah feel like spiders were crawling along her skull. She hugged herself, shivering. She knew her lips were blue and that she needed to get warm, so she quickened her pace. The whispers continued and she could make out odd words.

"Helpless… No friends… Only won with help… Alone… Can't win alone… Pathetic... Human… No magic… Gullible… Child… Trusting… Skin tears! Weak! Helpless! Magicless! Pathetic, gullible child! Human! Defenceless! Needs friends! Has none!"

Sarah covered her ears, and quickened her pace. The voices were really hurting, not just the doubts they voiced, but it felt as if someone was dragging iron nails across her skull. She could make out movement on the wall and ceiling. Fortunately, she was now in a large cavern, so there was distance between her and the speakers.

"No claws, no teeth…" chuckled the voices. "Skin flimsy, easy to cut, blood close. No protection…"

Sarah wondered if she had enough strength to run. Though the voices had stopped shouting, they were more threatening. And she could make out eyes. Some red, some orange, some were black yet still managed to shine in the darkness.

She felt the ground shake and tremble, and she almost lost her balance. She turned and shifted her weight as she did. To her shock, the ground was crumbling. Large chucks of earth she had previously walked on were disappearing.

Sarah decided that she did, in fact, have enough strength left to run, and run fast.

'_I swear, I will never ever again complain to Mrs. Emery about running laps! I will do all the homework she assigns, and more if I can just get through this.' _

Sarah grimaced as she ran, throat lined with what felt like sandpaper. Aside from that, her biggest problem currently was her lack of footwear. She could feel several small stones burying themselves deeper into her foot with every step she took. She just hoped she didn't end up slipping on her own blood which was starting to become a problem. She was on an incline, running down, and the blood coating her feet was not helping her keep her footing.

Fortunately, however, the slope turned to stairs. It was frightening: running down and down further into the abyss as the earth behind her continued to crumble and fall. It didn't help that the stairway became narrower and narrower. He light from the glow worms faded. The eyes continued to stare at her, she knew they were still speaking, but there was too much blood pounding in her ears for her to hear. She barely noticed the teeth just below the eyes as the creatures grinned sadistic, Cheshire cat smiles.

'_Sharp teeth,'_ thought Sarah briefly, before focusing on the steps. One false move and she'd tumble down into nothingness, after breaking her neck on the stairs.

That was when she saw it. Niagara Falls. Well, to be fair, the waterfall was nowhere near as big as the Canadian tourist trap, but only because the wall of the cavern wasn't very high. Even if the stairs did allow Sarah to alter her path, she'd have nowhere to go. She was heading straight for the waterfall, and couldn't stop the crumpling stairs behind her. She had too much momentum.

She was too busy looking at the falls, she didn't notice the stairs ended.

"Fudge!" screamed Sarah. She had taken to saying desserts over swear words due to Toby. She didn't want to think about what would happen if the boy's first word was 'fuck.'

She tumbled down the slope, which thankfully evened out, and she came to a stop. Her head hurt, and felt sticky. She reached up and immediately recognized the liquid she felt as blood.

The voices continued, but her head was too fuzzy to comprehend them. She looked around using her flashlight, and concluded she had nowhere to go. There were no paths to take unless one considered jumping of the ledge. She didn't like that option. She tried to stand, only to slip on the wet stone. Whether from blood or water, she wasn't sure.

"Damn it!" she screeched. "I give up…Jareth? Jareth, I give up! Ow!" _'Note to self: yelling hurts head.'_

"…Jareth?"

Sarah sat and waited, but the Goblin King didn't come. She tried calling several times, she even wished, but there was nothing. The voices continued to laugh, mocking her helplessness.

Eventually, Sarah stood and trudged towards the waterfall. The churning water would break her fall. If she landed feet-first, she might survive...or she might not, but it was better than freezing or starving to death. She wondered why she wasn't crying. She was going to die. The chances of surviving…her light didn't even reach the bottom.

She jumped off the ledge.

She survived, landing in the water having ridden the falls to cushion the blow. She didn't bother trying to swim, it would have been wasted energy. The water tossed and churned her body until she hit something her mind registered it as a metal ladder. She grabbed hold. The current was weak now, and she climbed up. At least, she thought she was going up: she couldn't be sure at the moment.

She gulped in air as soon as her head broke the surface, thankful that her flashlight came with a wrist band and hadn't been lost. She pointed it up to see stone. She climbed up anyway, hoping it was just a covering. She couldn't feel her feet anymore, something she was grateful for: the fall couldn't have left them unscathed there was a good chance something was broken. She pushed at the stone blocking her path and…it gave way.

The relief Sarah felt gave her the encouragement needed for her to push on. She smiled as sunlight began to pour in. She still had to close her eyes at the pain the sudden onslaught of light caused, but her smile never faltered. She crawled out of the hole and into the light to see she was about a foot away from the Castle's drawbridge. The Goblin King stood on the other side, and he held out his hand.

"Sarah, all you have to do is cross."

Sarah tried to stand, only to stumble and fall to her knees. Goblins rushed forward. "I'm coming Sarah!" yelled Hoggle.

"Stay back all of you! Anyone who helps her will be suspended by their toes in the Bog for a week!" He turned his head to look down at Sarah, and sneered, "Come, Sarah, get up, or crawl. Admittedly, I would prefer the latter. Or are you too weak to even crawl twenty feet?" His leer widened. "Little girl, however shall you manage being my personal slave for two weeks if you can't even manage this?"

Sarah glared, and forced herself to her feet. She began walking. Her legs were like lead, her steps were small, but she was managing to keep her balance at least.

Hoggle stared in horror at his friend. Her lips were blue, her skin bruised and cut, she wore so little, and her feet left bloody footprints.

Sarah focused on Jareth's eyes. Both a pale blue, but mad-looking with the uneven pupils. Both harsh. He still held out his hand, waiting for her to take it.

Sarah noticed a slight twitch in his brow, and wondered if she was taking too long for his liking. She decided she didn't care. She stumbled a few feet short of the end but managed to regain her footing, and finally Jareth's hand was in reach.

She batted it aside.

"I don't need your help."

Jareth's face lit up with the first genuine smile she'd ever seen on him.

'_He should smile more often. Then again, he is less scary. The goblins might get out of control.'_

The next thing Sarah knew, an arm was around her back and another at her knees knocking out her feet from under her.

"You win. I knew you could."

The pair disappeared in a shower of glitter.

oo0oo

Jareth gently placed Sarah down feet-first. The teen barely had time to register the warm water around her legs before Jareth's arms circled her waist and dragged her down.

"Jareth!"

"I do love it when you say my name, Precious. Could you make it a little more sultry though?"

Sarah tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but she may as well have tried to bend steel. Regardless of the inefficiency of her efforts, she doubled them when her t-shirt disappeared.

"Sarah, please calm down. I want to tend to your back. Once I'm satisfied, I'll give you back your shirt. Shh," he whispered calmly in her ear.

She knew he wasn't wearing a shirt. She looked down, and saw that he was at least wearing pants. The fact calmed her somewhat. She settled down: she was too tired and sore to fight anyway, and her limbs weren't exactly happy with her efforts at the moment.

"There now, Precious." He started running his hands over her back, and Sarah started to relax at the cool, gentle touch that was soothing away her pain. Trying to distract herself, she looked around the opulent bathroom. The floor was made of polished hardwood, the walls black marble. There was a large shower on the opposite wall, a fireplace to her left, and two sinks on her right. Next to the sink was a door. Sarah assumed it lead to Jareth's bedroom.

She tried not to think about his bed.

'_Think about the Junk Lady, think about the Junk Lady, think about the Junk Lady,'_ chanted Jareth. Tending to Sarah's back was torture, especially since her neck was so close. His face would fit perfectly, he could just imagine trailing kis— _'Think about the Junk Lady!'_

"There, all done," Jareth hissed painfully a few minutes later. He leaned forward so his mouth was next to her ear. "I admit it is nice to have you half-nude in my arms, in my bath trembling. Now if only it was in ecstasy instead of from cold."

Sarah tried to jump out of the tub, but Jareth held her down.

"Now, now, Precious. We still have the front."

"My front is fine," squeaked Sarah.

"Your limbs then."

"I want my shirt back."

"Very well," Jareth snapped his fingers and rose out of the tub.

Sarah looked down to see she was wearing a blue poet's shirt.

"What happened to my tee?"

"I'd rather have you in my clothes. Your 'tee' doesn't do you justice, and the thing was a rag even before your journey."

"Did you just insult my clothes?"

"Let's start on you right arm, shall we?" said Jareth, realising he was on paper-thin ice. He gently reached out and grabbed hold of Sarah's arm, and turned off the flashlight neither had noticed the thing was still on. He removed it's strap from her wrist, placing it on the floor before slowly rolling up the sleeve and revelling in her nearness.

"How much time did I have left?"

"Four and a half hours. You beat your previous time. Congratulations, I believe that's a record actually..." He paused as if in thought. "Yes, the previous record was nine hours and three minutes. You beat it by twenty eight minutes."

"Yay me. I never want to run that thing again."

"I warned you about the short-cut, Sarah."

"I though I'd be able to quit."

Jareth sighed. "You should have had that option. How does your arm feel?" he asked before she could question him further.

"Fine now, thanks."

"My pleasure," purred the Goblin King, reaching for her right leg and raising it out of the water. "Relax, Sarah," he ordered, waving his free hand. The water began to rise and heat up. Sarah sighed contentedly and leaned back. She closed her eyes, and let Jareth work. She didn't open them again until she felt a pressure in her left palm. Jareth was kissing her hand. He smiled.

"All done, Precious."

"Right," said Sarah, pulling her tingly hand away from the ethereal being. "Can I have my clothes and some privacy?"

"You do remember the location of you clothes, do you not?"

"Can't you magic them back?"

"Yes, but seeing as you must be hungry, you will be joining me for dinner, and you will be wearing fitting attire. Your clothes will be returned to you before you leave."

He held out his hand, and a crystal formed. He tossed it, and it landed a few feet from the fireplace. A chair with a green dress draped over it appeared, with a pair of matching slippers on the floor.

"Jareth?"

"Yes?"

"Privacy."

Looking rather put out, the Goblin King bowed his head and disappeared.

oo0oo

Sarah let out a yawn after she finished dressing. The dress was simple, but beautiful. It reminded her of her costume, only this was real and made of silk. She walked towards the door, and gaped at what she saw.

To say it looked like a tornado had been through here wouldn't do the damage justice. There was a chunk of wall missing from the wall opposite her, the bed was cleaved in half, the dresser was made up of pieces of wood and splinters. Most of the clothes were torn or shredded. As Sarah stepped through and looked around, she saw that chunks of the stone wall had been melted or had claw marks. She looked out onto the balcony on her right and saw a large patch of the gardens below that were brown and dead.

'_What happened here?'_ she wondered.

"Jareth!"

"Yes, Precious? Oh yes, well, the Labyrinth and I had a disagreement."

Sarah rounded on where he had appeared behind her.

"A disagreement. This is what happens when you and the Labyrinth disagree? I sure as hell hope you two never fight! What did you argue about?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Yes. You called, I wanted to go to you, the Labyrinth wouldn't let me. It wanted to teach you, and was rather insistent. The destruction is a result of that."

"And the garden?"

Jareth shrugged. "The Labyrinth had to take its energy to use against me from somewhere. I suspect there are several such places in the Labyrinth. Don't worry, she'll recover in a few days."

_'So the Labyrinth's a she. I knew the thing was sentient, the walls felt alive, but why? Why put me through that?'_

Sarah's shoulders slumped, and she looked at Jareth with wide eyes. "That's why you didn't come?"

Jareth nodded. "The lessons this time were harsh, Sarah. The Labyrinth believed you too trusting."

"Finn…"

Jareth nodded.

"But why the water? Why the jump off a ledge?"

"We will discuss this over dinner," he held out a hand. "Come, Sarah."

As soon as she took the monarch's hand, the room dissipated and she was standing before a dining table about ten feet in length.

"This room is reserved for intimate meals with friends," said Jareth as he led her to a chair and pulled it out for her.

"Thank you," muttered Sarah quietly, suddenly nervous.

"My pleasure," replied Jareth, taking his own seat.

A goblin hurried in, placing a plate before Sarah, then Jareth. Sarah wondered at been served before the king and didn't move to eat until Jareth had taken his second forkful.

"So about the waterfall…why didn't the Labyrinth want you to come?"

"It wanted you to realise you could do it on your own. One of life's harsher lessons: the people we love won't always be there for us, and we sometimes have to manage on our own. While I cannot promise to always physically be there for you, Sarah, I assure you it won't be through lack of trying. The same, I assume, goes for your…'friends'. The knight, the rock caller and Hogbreath."

"Hoggle."

"Whatever."

"So, the Labyrinth wasn't mad at me for giving up?"

Jareth snorted. "It would have been mad if you hadn't. You took a very big risk, Sarah. Taking that sort of chance, being willing to risk putting your family through the grief of losing you to avoid been a servant for an extra seven days, or just to win a bet, is, I assure you, not an admiral quality."

Sarah nodded. "Glad to hear it. So...fruit and vegetables aside, what else do goblins tend to revolt for?"

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AN: Wow that's a fairly long one, I worked really hard on this guys. Reviews would mean a lot and give much needed encouragement to continue. Well I'll continue either way but faster with incentive to work on it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Dealing with Goblins**

* * *

**Disclaimer****: All Publicly Recognizable Characters, Settings, Ideas, etc. are the property of Jim Henson and Co. The Original Characters and Plot are the Property of the Author. The Author is in no way Associated with the Owners, Creators, or Producers of ****Jim Henson and Co**. No Copyright Infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter 04**

Sarah stood outside her home in Jareth's shirt trying to gather her courage for going in, she really didn't want to answer questions about why she was wearing a different shirt now than when she had left that morning. The Goblin King had convinced her that a new shirt would be easier to explain than a torn up one.

Sighing, she opened the door, hoping to make it upstairs before her parents saw her and her new shirt.

"Sarah, is that you?" asked Irene as she popped her head around the corner.

'_Maybe she won't notice.'_

"Sarah, why are you wearing a man's shirt?"

"Sarah's wearing a man's shirt?" asked her father. He darted around the corner, eyes falling onto his daughter, and crossed his arms.

"What makes you think it's a man's?" asked the teen, looking at the floor.

Irene's eyes narrowed.

"Sarah, I know the difference between a man's shirt and a woman's, even if they are renaissance styles. Also, the size is a dead giveaway. Now, why are you wearing a man's shirt?"

"It's my friend's. My green one got torn when we were walking in the woods by the park and he lent it to me."

Irene's eyes widened, and she smiled.

"You went out with a boy?"

"You went out with a shirtless boy?" her father demanded, his frown deepening.

'_No, I went out with a man, sorta. Well, we had dinner.' _

"Yes. And my shirt was torn in a really awkward place, okay?" continued Sarah, blushing. "He had a jacket," she lied.

"What is he like? When do your father and I get to meet him?"

"He's annoying, and we'll see."

Irene clapped. "Oh, we'll have to start looking into hiring babysitters!"

"No, you won't. I like babysitting Toby."

Irene's eyes widened at the comment, but she shook her head. Sarah had been acting really strange lately. But in a good way, so she wasn't going to complain.

"Umm, I'm gonna go change now."

"Is that shirt made of silk?" asked Irene as Sarah darted up the steps. She decided to ignore the older woman's question and hurried to her room.

Once Sarah had shut the door, she leaned against it and dropped her backpack off to the side.

"Easier to explain my ass. All that magic, and he couldn't fix my shirt? Or magic me up a replica?"

"Of course I could but, you didn't ask the right questions."

Sarah turned sharply to her bed where the Goblin King lay on his side, propped up by his elbow. His head was held up by his hand and he smiled at her frustrated face.

"What?" snapped Sarah.

"I said: 'Of course I could but, you didn't ask the right questions.'"

His smile widened as her face reddened.

"I asked you if you could fix it!" she hissed, trying to keep her voice down so her parents wouldn't hear.

"But not if I could replicate it, though yes, I could have fixed it. I never told you I couldn't, I just said that wearing my shirt would be easier to explain than the numerous holes. At any rate, I wouldn't consider repairing the thing. Waste of magic. Really, Sarah, you should pay more attention to my words."

"You lying, cheating—"

"Ah, ah, ah, Sarah…" the monarch tutted as he got up from the bed and walked towards her. "I never lie." He cocked his head, as if thinking. "Well, I never outright lie. I lie by omission frequently. But I never state a falsehood, at least not in five hundred years."

'_Five hundred…'_ Sarah shook her head. "How old are you? And why don't you lie? Is your species unable to?"

"I'm millennia old, Sarah, and I'd rather not go into just how many. And no, I can lie easily, for example-" He leaned over her, placing his hand next to her head on the wall and smiled down at her, "-I really like the baggy shirts you tend to favour."

"Hey!"

She lightly hit him on the shoulder, and walked to her vanity. He chuckled.

"You know, the shirt you gave me doesn't exactly show off my figure."

"Ah, but it's mine," he chortled "And coats you in my scent. To my people, that is a clear marker that you are mine, Precious. Also, silk falls off your body in a far more flattering manner than that coarse cotton you wear."

Sarah turned to face him. "I'm not anyone's property."

"I didn't mean that you were, Precious. You are champion of my Labyrinth. And hopefully I'll be able to convince you to become one of its citizens."

"Become what?"

"A citizen of my kingdom; my subject. You'll have rank: the Grand Duchess of the Goblin Kingdom. And though I do have the right to extend my protection to your brother, I do not have to right to extend it to your family."

"Why?"

Jareth smirked. "Do you really what to go into Underground law right now? Suffice to say, before the law was in place, Fae where claiming humans left, right, and center. Some restrictions were needed. However, if you became Duchess—"

"You'd be able to extend your protection to them?"

"No. I cannot protect what I cannot claim some right to. You would be able to protect them as Duchess, and any act against those under your protection would be tantamount to an act of war. It would also mean that you must be careful who you insult, Precious. An insult from a mortal is one thing, but an insult from the Grand Duchess of the Goblin Kingdom would be an act representative of the entire Kingdom, and could cause problems such as me having to spend a fortune pacifying an irate ruler as opposed to food for my subjects."

Sarah stood, wishing she was taller. She wanted to look him in the eyes.

"But I'll be your subject, not your equal. You'll have power over me."

"As Grand Duchess, I assure you, it will be limited. If equality is such a concern…" he smiled, "we could always marry. As my queen you would be equal - eventually."

Sarah stumbled back into her chair. "I can't… Wait, what do you mean, 'eventually'?"

Jareth scoffed and crossed his arms. "Can you negotiate trade agreements with other kingdoms? Are you up to settling disputes among my people? Protecting the borders? Negotiating treaties? Until you are able, you would be a consort, not a queen."

Sarah looked at the floor and nodded. She'd have agreed to be a duchess regardless of equality: her family's safety was more important than anything. Still, he was right. She couldn't be his equal. Yet.

"Queen or Duchess, you will have to start learning politics as well as history at the least. I've somewhat neglected my duties when it comes to dealing with the other kingdoms. I could use an ambassador. It would take a few years of training but… You'd be able to travel the Underground. Once you're capable of doing the work, you would of course be paid. Then there's the money you'll get from your own land."

Sarah - who had been staring at the Goblin King - now looked gobsmacked. Jareth thought she looked adorable with her mouth open, and her wide eyes made her look doe-like and innocent.

'_So deceptive…'_ he thought.

"Wait, land?"

"Yes, Sarah. The role of Grand Duchess comes with an estate just outside the Labyrinth. And I do mean just outside, borders really. And there is a portal set up to take you to just outside the castle. The estate is currently been maintained by a fairly large staff headed by a human and his family."

"Staff…" Sarah repeated in disbelief.

"Yes, you'd collect rent from the people who live on the land. It wouldn't just be money, but food and clothing too. Coins aren't the only thing used for finances in the Underground."

He saw that Sarah was hugging herself, and realised again that she was a child, and running an estate was a great deal of responsibility. He sighed and knelt down before her placing a hand on her knee and another under her chin to look at him.

"I know this is a lot to take in, Sarah. You can give your answer after your tenure as my slave." Sarah glared at Jareth slightly when he purred those last two words. "I'll set up wards and assign goblins to protect you and your family," continued the monarch. "In the meantime, I'll give you a few books on the history of the Underground, and over the next few months I'll tell you what duties you would have as Duchess. They would be minimal: the estate has managed well under the Higgins family. No need for that to change."

"Will I beable to travel between my world and the Labyrinth?"

Jareth nodded and looked at her vanity mirror "I can turn this mirror into a portal you'll just have to touch its surface to travel between worlds, like your friends did the night of the party."

Sarah smiled thrilled he was willing to give her complete access to his kingdom. "You said the estate I would get borders the Labyrinth. You don't just rule the Labyrinth?"

Jareth smiled, his chest puffing out slightly. "I did at first. But then my neighbours began to think that since the Labyrinth had a ruler, it was tamed and weaker; that I could be defeated."

"What happened?"

The Goblin King's smile widened to show his sharp teeth. "My kingdom became much bigger."

Sarah didn't know why, but the thought made her smile. Jareth, the mighty Goblin King, defending his kingdom and crushing his attackers, taking their land. She looked into his eyes and smiled.

"I think I'd like to go to bed. Goodnight, Jareth."

The Goblin King rose, giving his champion a chaste kiss on the forehead as he did.

"Goodnight, Sarah."

And he disappeared in a puff of glitter.

Sarah shook her head. She'd have to discuss the glitter issue with him next time they met. She didn't want to think about Irene's reaction to finding glitter sprinkled all over the carpet.

She decided she would accept Jareth's offer. She hated the idea of being his subordinate, but at least he was a fair king and a protector of children. She liked the idea of serving the Labyrinth, and wondered as she drifted off to sleep what Jareth looked like on the battlefield given what he was like while escorting her back to the Labyrinth. She prayed she was never on the receiving end of that glower.

oo0oo

Jareth meanwhile stood on his balcony overlooking the Labyrinth, sipping one of his favorite wines. Soon, she would be his. He knew she would accept the position, knew she wanted to see more of the Underground. He would give her what she needed to accomplish that. Soon the Underground, not the Aboveground, would be home to her. She would always be tied to her family, but they would have the option of moving. If not... Well, it would be easier for her to visit them from Under than it would be if she moved to another country or even another city.

He smiled. If she agreed, he could likely convince her to study politics at University, or maybe he'd just make her sick of it all.

'_She wants to be a part of this world, calm down. She'll be yours whether she wants to or not.'_ Jareth shook his head and glared at the Labyrinth, wondering not for the first time how to explain that the thing had played matchmaker. _'She doesn't have a choice. I just hope I can convince her to love me. I'd rather not have a wife who doesn't.'_

oo0oo

A few weeks later, life was relatively normal. Jareth had popped by the day after their talk while she was in the middle of homework to give her some history books, and once more a week later to give her a few biographies on various nobles of other kingdoms. Both visits had involved him teasing her and her quickly shooing him away so she could get back to her homework. Oddly enough he never came to visit when she was with her other friends and knowing how frightened Hoggle was she didn't invite him.

Her Labyrinth friends were frequent visitors, and came over when she was alone with Toby to watch movies and play board games, or just entertain Toby while she worked. Mostly the later. She smiled as she thought about the Scrabble match between herself and Sir Didymus on Saturday. He had won, and she was looking forward to the weekend for a rematch.

Sarah plopped into her seat at her desk for History. She rather liked this class. History was, after all, storytime in a way. Her friend Jenna took her seat beside her. Sarah looked over and smiled but her expression soon morphed into worry when she saw her friend's hand was shaking.

"Hey, Jenna, you okay?"

Jenna almost jumped out of her seat.

"Yeah," she stammered. "I'm fine. Just didn't get a lot of sleep last night. Hey, you ready for that quiz in math?"

Sarah took the hint, and the pair discussed other things. The next day, Jenna was worse. There were bags under her eyes which had sunk deeper into her skull. Her skin was pale and waxen, she seemed on the verge of tears. Sarah tried talking to her friend but Jenna only gave one word answers.

It was after school that day that Sarah was in one of the quiet rooms of the town's main library that she heard the door open and close. She ignored it until a voice spoke.

"Call Jareth and I'll teleport to your friend Jenna's side and slit her throat. He won't make it in time to save her." Sarah slowly turned to face the speaker. "Also," he continued, "I should mention I spent a week setting up wards for this room. It'll take Jareth three minutes to break them at the very least."

The teen continued to stare. The man appeared to be in his early twenties. He had short, wavy blond hair and light blue eyes. His skin wasn't as perfect as the other Fae she had encountered, and his ears were a bit more rounded.

"Who are you?" she questioned. "What do you want?"

"My name is Simon. I'm Alamir's younger brother." He bowed slightly.

Sarah frowned. Simon lacked the physical perfection his brother had. He was good-looking, yes, but not perfect. His skin had a few flaws and his teeth, while straight, weren't as white or as sharp.

"As for what I want," he continued, "The Sluagh kingdom was at war with Jareth about five hundred years ago. The treaty was unfavourable for my country. I want Jareth to break the rules set down by it. If he does, he won't receive any support from the High King, and the Sluagh country will, thus giving us an edge in the war. Now, as champion, I can't hurt you without breaking the treaty. That would only ensure Jareth ends up with the support. But if you let me hurt you…" He trailed off with a shrug and pleasant smile.

"And if I don't?"

"Jenna has a lovely neck, but personally I think it'd be more beautiful with covered in blood."

Sarah paled. Simon's eyes flicked to her clenching knuckles, he smirked as he looked down at her.

"Jareth has Goblins following me," she told him.

"They're tied up."

"What do you plan to do to me?"

"Fuck you. Jareth will try to make his case to the High King, and it will help if you don't actually have marks on you. Oh, don't look so upset. If it makes you feel any better, I won't enjoy it much either. I prefer my bedmates to be a bit younger."

"You're disgusting."

"By your definition, I'm sure I am."

He began advancing towards her, and Sarah resisted the temptation to so much as lean backwards. He smiled and waved his hand. A large mirror floated off to her left.

"What is that for?"

"To record our fun. Like I said, Jareth will make his case to the High King. I will need to show them that you accepted me and didn't fight. And I do want him to see this."

Sarah's mouth hung open. He was going to show himself raping her to Jareth and to an entire room full of people?

While these thoughts were running through her head, she felt a tug at her shirt. Simon leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

"Remember, any resistance on your part, this will stop and I will go to Jenna and kill her. Jareth can reorder time, but once a soul has left, he can do nothing. Jenna's heart would beat, but she would be gone."

Sarah nodded and Simon pulled her shirt up. The teen lifted her arms as she tried to shut down her mind, go someplace else, pretend this was happening to someone else, not her.

"Sarah Williams, do you accept me of your own free will?" asked Simon after removing her shirt.

"To save my friend, yes."

Simon leaned in for a kiss, his tongue burrowing into her mouth. She heard him push her books aside before he grabbed her hips. He effortlessly picked her up and sat her on the table she had just been writing an English paper on. She felt a blade on her chest, and tried to pull away, but he bit her lip and glared into her eyes. She remembered what he had said about Jenna.

Her bra fell away next, and she realised what the blade had been for. She felt him fiddle with the button on her jeans, then the zipper. With one hand, he pulled her pants down to her ankles, and again she felt the blade. It cut away her panties.

'_Think of the park, think of being there. Not here. This isn't happening to you, this is a role. It's someone else.'_

She felt a finger plunge into her.

'_Someone else…'_

Two fingers plunged into her while a thumb began messaging her clit.

'_No, Sarah, you're the champion. Think of something, do something clever!'_

Simon moved from her mouth to her jaw line, making his way towards her ear.

"When you do see Uncle Jareth again, do me a favour and ask him if he still considers me his biggest mistake."

He increased the pace of his fingers.

'_Uncle? Jareth is related to Alamir's family? Why didn't Alamir bring it up. Oh god!'_ cried out Sarah mentally as Simon began suckling her breast, gently biting the nipple. _'Think of Jenna. Think of how she was acting today. You have…to…protect…her…'_

Sarah smiled.

"I wish the Goblin King would protect Jenna, right now."

Simon growled and forced her down on the table.

"I'll go after your other friends. Jenna has a sister about ten. That's the age I like them, so ti—"

Simon went crashing into the wall.

Sarah sat up abruptly, covering her breasts with her arms and bringing her legs together. She looked up to see a crystal flying towards her, and she closed her eyes to brace for impact. An impact that didn't come. She opened her eyes again to see Jareth in full goblin armour holding out a hand. She glanced down at herself, and saw that she was wearing black leather pants lined with silk. They were open at the sides of her legs, but were held together with lace. They gave a tantalizing view of her legs. Overlapping her calves were comfortable dark brown leather boots. She wore a light green poet's shirt and a brown cincher that made her breast jump out to greet the world. She felt a pressure on her neck and raised her hand to feel a leather choker holding a small version of Jareth's pendant.

The she noticed again that Jareth was holding out a hand while staring at Simon on the floor. She took the offered limb, and he turned to her. Leaning forwards, he gave her a chaste kiss on her cheek.

"Look imposing, Champion," he whispered before returning his attention to Simon who was getting back on his feet.

"You're faster then I expected, Uncle. Didn't take you half a minute to get past my ward."

"It took a little under three. I can reorder time, you twit. Why, Simon, have you broken the treaty? You could not win a war with the High King's support. Without it, you will be beaten within a month."

Simon scoffed. "I haven't broken the treaty: you have. You harmed me."

"You harmed Sarah."

"I did nothing she did not allow."

"Really?" smirked Jareth. "Tell me, Simon: that treaty I signed before you were born, you've read it, right? It states clearly that you and yours are not to harm my citizens or those under my protection, does it not?"

"Exactly, and I haven't harmed her. She let me touch her."

"You blackmailed me," said Sarah, smiling upon seeing where Jareth was going. At least, she hoped so. "The treaty: does it say no harm? Does it use those words specifically?" she continued, taking a step forward.

"It says, 'No representative of the Sluagh kingdom or citizen of that kingdom can harm or order to come to harm a citizen of the Goblin Kingdom, or anyone under the King's protection.'"

Sarah smiled. "So, what you're saying is, it never specifies what kind of harm?"

Simon's mouth fell open as he stared at the pair in horror. Jareth threw a crystal at him, and the Sluagh prince disappeared in a puff of glitter.

Jareth rounded on Sarah, and she actually took a step back as he snarled at her.

"Why did you hesitate to call me?"

"Jenn—"

"How many times must I reorder time itself for you to understand what I can and am willing to do for you!" He shouted grabbing her shoulders she flinched slightly, before rounding on the monarch.

"Don't you dare start blaming me for this, Goblin King!" shouted Sarah, jabbing him in the chest. "Was Simon lying when he said that once a soul is gone you can't do anything about it?"

Jareth took a sudden interest in the floor relaxing his hold on her. When he looked up again, he pulled her towards him locking her in his embrace.

"Do you have any idea what it did to me, seeing you naked, his finger in you? I know you suffered, Sarah but…never hesitate to call me again."

Sarah nodded into his chest. She felt something in her hair, and reached up. A feather was woven into her hair on the right side of her head.

"One of mine. I will not remove it. It has a few protection spells placed on it."

Sarah sighed and decided not to argue.

"Where is Simon? Did you kill him?"

He nuzzled her hair, inhaling her scent before speaking.

"No. Once I am done here, I will send a messageto Simon's family. They will negotiate for his freedom. When I am done with him, he will be returned. He will serve as a warning."

"He wanted me to ask you if you still consider him your greatest mistake. What happened? Why does he call you Uncle?"

"I need to leave, send a message to Simon's parents telling them what he's done and where he is," he told her curtly, disengaging his arms.

"Jareth…where's Jenna?"

"At her now heavily-warded home. I erased her memories of what Simon did to her. I would make you the same offer, but you handled yourself well, and I don't think it wise to rob you of the knowledge you have gained."

'_Or the memory of my King in shiny goblin armour coming to my rescue,'_ thought Sarah.

"Will you be alright on your own?" asked the Goblin King.

"I need my clothes back."

Jareth sighed and waved his hand, and Sarah felt the change in attire though the choker and feather remained. She fingered the collar.

"What about this?"

"It is my symbol, and marks you as Grand Duchess. I assume you'll accept the position. I'll teach you to mark those you care about so they are protected by the Labyrinth."

Sarah nodded. "Thank you."

"You'll spend the full two weeks of your vacation Underground so you can begin your training."

"Jareth, do I have magic?"

"You have access to the Labyrinth's magic. You will be taught to wield it, and you have some of your own though it's not…aggressive. I'll teach you." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "But not now."

With those words, he disappeared in a cloud of glitter.

"Wait! Dammit, now I have to find the goblins Simon tied up."

Fortunately, it didn't take Sarah long to locate her bodyguards. They were just outside of the room, on top of the bookshelves. What did take time was calming them down and assuring them that she was okay and would talk to the king about not tossing them into the bog for not keeping her safe.

The first thing Sarah did after finding, untying and reassuring her goblin guards, was run home. Irene raised her eyebrows at the sight of the feather in Sarah's hair. Then the elder woman's eyes narrowed.

"Sarah, are you alright? You seem pale."

"I'm fine Irene, thanks for asking," replied Sarah before darting up the stairs.

She would use the upstairs phone to call Jenna. Once Sarah had confirmed that her friend had no idea anything was wrong with her life, she took a shower to remove all traces of Simon from her skin.

oo0oo

Simon leaned back in his chair. He was in Jareth's dungeons, he knew that. It was a small cell, about ten by ten feet. There was a stove off to his left. His wrists were strapped to the arms of the chair and ankles to the thing's legs. He smiled when the door opened.

"Tending to me yourself, Uncle?"

"Well you are one of my biggest mistakes."

"But you're not going to kill me, are you? Not when you can procure a few slaves from the Sluagh kingdom. You're such a bleed heart, Unc."

"We'll see how you feel after I'm done with you."

Jareth unsheathed a knife and gripped Simon's right hand, bent down and sniffed the Sluagh prince's fingers.

"Two fingers. And you kissed her, I believe?" Jareth waved his hand and the mirror that Simon had used to record his assault on Sarah appeared. "Yes, you did. You're going to regret that."

Simon scoffed. "My brother would love to do more. I'm sure you know how he feels about virgins."

Jareth's aloof mask didn't so much as twitch. Instead, the Goblin King raised his knife and cut off the fingers that had plunged into his champion.

"Ahh!" screamed Simon before choking back his cry.

Jareth conjured a table, then chopped the fingers into small pieces before poking out the bones. He then conjured a frying pan, and using the stove in the corner, cooked the meat. Smiling darkly, he turned to a whimpering Simon. Taking the cooked fingers in hand, he forced open the prince's mouth and forced the meat down the Sluagh's throat.

"Now, you also bit her, correct?" asked Jareth, giving Simon's jaw a painful squeeze. "How would you like your teeth removed?" hissed the king. "Pulled out or filled down to nothing?"

"Mmmmm!"

"Ahh, well, you can take your time to decide. We still have your lips to cook and I'd wager you used your tongue, so there's that as well."

* * *

A/N: Sooo who likes my nasty vengeful Jareth! Seriously comment on him, its super easy there's a little box right there! You don't even have to sign in. Common guys make me a happy fanfic author!


	5. Chapter 5

**Dealing with Goblins**

* * *

******Disclaimer****: ****All Publicly Recognizable Characters, Settings, Ideas, etc. are the property of Jim Henson and Co. The Original Characters and Plot are the Property of the Author. The Author is in no way Associated with the Owners, Creators, or Producers of ********Jim Henson and Co**. No Copyright Infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter05**

Sarah tried to hold back a cry as Simon bit down hard on her nipple and plunged a third finger into her.

"I wish—"

The Sluagh prince bit down hard, making her cry out before, bringing his mouth to hers. His tongue pushed hers down while it drove to the back of her throat. When he finally did end the kiss, he whispered in her ear.

"If I hear you starting to make a wish, I will teleport to Jenna and slit her throat. I won't give you time to finish summoning him. So unless you're screaming, crying, moaning, or whimpering, keep your mouth shut," he ordered while forcing what felt like his whole hand into her.

"Actually, how about we find another use for your mouth?" He grabbed her shoulders, dragging her off the table and onto her knees in front of him where she became aware of the fact that he had removed his pants. "You know what to do."

oo0oo

Jareth smiled as he filed down Simon's right maxillary incisor. He had wanted to save the Sluagh prince's tongue for last and enjoy the man's curses, but the organ hadn't been very cooperative with Jareth's filing, so it had had to go.

He frowned when he felt a tug in his mind. He released Simon's jaw dropped the file he had been using. It vanished before it hit the ground.

"I have to go, I'll be back soon," he told his prisoner as he walked towards a wall and through the shadows.

He appeared in Sarah's room where the girl was currently whimpering in her sleep. He gently shook her awake, noticing tears streaming down her face.

"Sarah wake up, it's okay you're safe."

The teen's eyes shot open. Upon seeing a shadowy figure standing over her, she pressed herself against the head board, her eyes wide with fear.

"It's me, Sarah," assured Jareth kindly before waving his hand and casting the room in a warm glow. "You were having a nightmare."

Jareth took a seat beside her and enveloped her in his arms gently, rocking her and whispering words of comfort. Several minutes of quiet passed while Sarah calmed herself.

"Thank you," she whispered into his chest. "What are you doing here?"

Jareth's hand went to the feather in her hair.

"This, aside from some protection spells, also alerts me when you are having nightmares. I was afraid this would happen. How are you feeling?"

Sarah smiled up at him, touched he had been so thoughtful. "Better."

"Would you like to tell me about it?"

"…I just keep thinking about how it could have gone wrong; if he had been fast enough to interrupt my wish or just gone straight to Jenna. She could have been killed just because I didn't want to be raped."

Jareth arms stiffened. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"'Just' raped? Sarah, no one is ever 'just' raped. You made the right decision. You got both yourself and Jenna out of danger." He tightened his hold on her chin. "Never belittle what happened and what almost happened to you. I am your king now and that is an order."

He glared at her, daring her to argue. She chuckled and buried her head in his chest. She felt safe in his arms, so instead of arguing, she looked up at him after a few seconds and asked; "What did you do with Simon?"

Jareth smiled. "I'm not done with him just yet, but his parents have agreed to give me one thousand slaves for his return. They don't expect him to be returned in perfect health, but they do expect him alive and capable of siring children. Other than that, I have free reign to do what I please before he is to be returned in the morning."

"Are you going to reorder time?"

Jareth sighed and…pouted? Sarah looked closer at his expression. Yes, the Goblin King was pouting.

"The agreement specifies that I not do that."

Sarah chuckled again. "So you're not going to castrate him?"

"I would, but then he'd only be worth five hundred slaves. You don't mind to you? I still have him. I could renegotiate."

"No," said Sarah, sitting back and waving her hands for emphasis. "Save as many as you can. I never thought I'd be glad I was assaulted."

Jareth gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "That's my Sarah, thinking of others."

"Don't suppose you'd tell me why the guy calls you 'Uncle'?"

Jareth's small smile immediately faded. "I'd rather not."

Sarah lightly squeezed his shoulder. "Jareth, considering what he tried to do to me, I think I have a right to know."

The Goblin King took a sudden interest in the tree outside her window.

"Until fifty years ago, I would occasionally ensure some of my more distasteful runners found their way to other Kingdoms through my Labyrinth. You see, it was about fifty years ago, when Simon was a fourteen year old human boy, he raped and murdered a nine year old girl. Later that week, he wished away his three year old brother. In my anger I decided to lure him to the Sluagh kingdom. I…was preoccupied with a trade agreement, and tending to the younger brother was putting a rather large strain on my time. I didn't want to deal with a runner, so I arranged for him to leave my Labyrinth soon after he entered. I…didn't expect the king and queen to take a liking to him. They adopted him. And every person he has harmed since is…" The Goblin King sighed and sunk further into the bed. "He likes to call me 'Uncle' because that is how he sees me. I practically arranged the adoption."

Sarah wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Jareth, the people he's hurt since: it's not your fault."

"If I had simply killed him—"

"The slaves you're about to free would rot."

"He destroyed a village not long ago, just because he could. I gave him power."

She placed both hands on the side of his head and turned him away from the window so he was looking at her.

"The Slaugh King and Queen did that. You are not responsible for the decisions of others, Jareth. The village, the people he's hurt, that's all on, him not you."

The Goblin King said nothing, merely rose from the bed and turned to his champion.

"I must be off. I'm going to be busy for the next few months. I specified that I want children: I'll have memories to erase, healers to hire, orphanages to build. I wonder how many will hate me for separating them from their parents and elder siblings."

Sarah gave him a squeeze. "I can assure you their parents and elder siblings will be grateful."

The Goblin King smiled. "Call if you have need. I will always come."

oo0oo

Jareth transported to his bathchamber and took a cold shower. He had been with Sarah on her bed, her scent thick in the air, that slip of nightwear. Her arms around him. It would have been so easy to wrap his arm around her waist, lower her down onto the bed, nuzzle her neck, and lay a trail of kisses along her jaw.

'_I need to lower the water's temperature, she's still a child! Still a child! Calm down, what's a few more years? You're immortal and ancient. Surly you've learned patience.'_

He looked down at himself.

'_Apparently not. Perhaps an ice bath is in order, or I could just go straight to Simon. Seeing him will cure the problem. Still, I'd rather not risk him noticing.'_

oo0oo

Sarah didn't call Jareth, not wanting to disturb him, though she did wonder what it was exactly he had done to Simon. But she decided it wasn't worth worrying about. Jenna was fine and so was she.

She had also found out that the choker she had been given as a sign of her rank was adjustable. One night before bed, she had tugged on the thing: it had been feeling a bit tight, and to her surprise, it loosened. She looked in the mirror to find the pendent was held in place by a leather cord and she could alter the length of it by pulling or lifting it up to the level she wanted it held at.

"So, that's how I take it off," she muttered to herself. The pendant suddenly became unpleasantly warm. "Not that I plan to." The heat disappeared. _'Okay, note to self: ask Jareth about that.'_

The months leading up to spring break seemed to fly by. Sarah spoke to her friends frequently, about every few days. Often, she would find small goblins around the house. They stayed out of her father and Irene's sight, but seemed to love Toby. She would walk into her little brother's room to find him playing with one or two, or even five of the little creatures.

Finding a way to leave for the duration of spring break was proving difficult. All the camps she came across were only a week long and even then most weren't over night. Also, they were expensive and she didn't want to waste her parents money.

A classmate of hers, Becky, went to an Aunt's ranch every spring and summer break. Perhaps she could be convinced to cover for Sarah, but what if her parents contacted Becky's uncle?

"Argh, maybe I should ask Jareth to cast a spell," she mumbled to herself, as she leaned over her vanity and burrowed her face into her hands.

Sarah searched for weeks, even complaining about the trouble she was having to Hoggle and her other friends.

"Honestly, Hoggle, sometimes I wi- I'd like my life to be a bit more like the books and movies. There's always a convenient excuse for this kind of thing. The protagonist almost never has trouble getting away from their parents."

"You'll come up with something, Sarah, and if you don't, there's always the rat. He'd be willing to do a little hocus pocus to help. Couldn't you just make up a camp?"

"I know my dad, Hoggle. He'd check up on it to make sure it was safe. So I can't just make something up, he would ask questions. I need to lie as little as possible."

"A wise decision, my lady," piped up Sir Didymus. "It is always best to tell the truth, not just for honour's sake, but because it can be difficult to keep track of lies. They tend to cause difficulty and spiral out of control if one is not careful."

So Sarah searched and searched, but found nothing. Finally, a month before she was due to leave, she found something. She couldn't believe she had missed it before. It was two weeks long and was an outdoor camp that involved canoeing, kayaking, hiking, and taught survival skills. There was a contest that she could enter to win the trip for free. Feeling lucky, she did so. She also went over the gear she would need for the trip, knowing her father used to go camping a lot in college. Maybe she could borrow some of his gear. She wondered if she should have Jareth use his magic to rig the contest, but didn't want to call him if she didn't have to. She decided that if she didn't win, which she was pretty sure she wouldn't, she'd ask him to magic up a confirmation letter saying she had won.

The drop off and pick-up were at the local bus station. If she could just convince her parents to not accompany her into the station…shouldn't be too hard. She'd just tell them she didn't want to be seen having to be escorted everywhere by her parents. At age fifteen, they'd likely buy that.

oo0oo

A week later, Sarah received an e-mail saying that she had won the contest. She couldn't believe her luck. She printed the thing off and showed it to Irene and her dad. Her dad was pretty happy and the following weekend was spent buying the gear her father couldn't provide due to his own having gotten to old or been lost.

She started cooking dinner every night and volunteering to do more cleaning out of guilt.

Once she was sure her father had made all the inquiries he was going to, she told the camp that something had come up and she wouldn't be able to attend.

The day finally arrived, and Sarah's father brought her to the station. He humoured her, staying for a hug just outside, before leaving her and driving back home to his wife and son. Once he was gone, Sarah started walking to the street corner where Jareth was standing waiting for her.

He smiled as she approached. "Good afternoon, precious."

"Good afternoon, your majesty," replied Sarah pleasantly.

Jareth raised an eyebrow at the term of address. "Feeling a bit more formal today are we?" he asked as he started walking to a more secluded area, Sarah following him.

"I'm your servant for the next seven days. I'm resigned to the fact."

"And here I thought I'd have to argue with you for a few hours before you'd pay me such courtesy."

"Don't worry, your highness," replied Sarah pleasantly, looking up at him with a Cheshire cat grin. "As soon as the week is over, so too will my newfound 'courtesy' end."

"Then I'll be sure to enjoy it while it lasts," chuckled Jareth as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

Sarah closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she found herself in a fairly large room. There was a bed with an emerald green canopy and blanket, a dresser, a desk, a vanity, and another door.

"That one leads to a washroom and that one-" Sarah turned to see where he was pointing, "-leads to my own chambers."

"Does it lock from this side?"

Jareth gave a throaty chuckle that sent shivers up her spine. How the man managed to create such a friendly yet menacing and seductive sound was beyond her. So much about the creature next to her was.

"Have I given you the impression that locked doors have any effect on me?"

Sarah sighed.

"Don't worry, Sarah. I won't be locking the door on my end, just to keep things even."

Sarah glared at him, all the while imagining various methods off wiping that irritating smirk off his face. Bog sludge and the green and pink hair dye she had packed topped the list.

"How considerate," she replied through clenched teeth. "So, what degrading chores do you have for me?"

"Nothing degrading, my dear. You have an hour to settle in. I will then return to give you a tour. After that, lunch, where we will discuss your duties."

Sarah nodded and placed her backpack by the bed. Silently, she started removing clothes to place in the dresser.

"Sarah, I have provided you with clothes. They are in the wardrobe and dresser."

"I like my own clothes, thanks."

"You haven't even seen what I have to offer," he continued stiffly.

"I'm sure they're very nice dresses, but I will be requiring pants for some of the chores you have for me, I'm sure."

Jareth sighed. "They are not all dresses, Sarah. I have provided you with leggings. You are correct, you will require such clothing for some of the chores I have for you. I would request that you wear the clothing I have provided while you are in my kingdom. While I cannot order you what to wear as Grand Duchess, I will remind you that for the next seven days, you are my slave." He paused and Sarah's breath hitched when she saw his eyes darken, and his mouth twist itself into a smirk. "I could just order you to wear nothing but a collar and a leash."

Sarah paled. "Y-You wouldn't - the deal-"

"-said no sex," replied Jareth as he stalked towards her. "It said nothing about looking, or even tearing whatever garments you happen to be wearing off." He was directly in front of her now. Sarah was too scared to move. Some kind of a wild, tantalizing power she could almost see surrounded him and coiled about her legs, preventing her from moving. He gently grabbed her chin. "And I would much prefer your current attire on the floor instead of on you."

Sarah managed to take a step back, but she suspected she was only able to because he allowed it.

"I'll wear the clothes you provided," she squeaked, holding out her hands to stave him off.

Jareth frowned at her heart rate. He could hear it from where he stood. Her eyes were dilated. As much as he wanted to believe it was arousal, he knew the clammy hands indicated fear. He stepped back but continued to tease.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't let you wonder around the castle naked, Sarah. You wouldn't have to worry about chores."

"I'm sure. But I'd like to use my own PJs."

The Goblin King sighed.

"As you wish, though I have provided nightwear." He pointed at a door. "That leads to a walk-in closet. In it you will find a few drawers containing a selection of the crown jewels. They are yours to use during your stay. The door to the left leads to the washroom. You'll notice a lack of faucets for the tub and sink. Simply wave your hand over them and state the temperature. For the shower, you wave your hand under the nozzle."

"State the temperature?" she asked, turning to him eyebrow raise. "Do you guys use fahrenheit in the Underground?"

"Freezing cold, cold, cool, lukewarm, warm, hot, or boiling lobster. Those are your options."

"Oh."

"I'll leave you to unpack." He bowed slightly at the waist and walked out of the room.

Sarah decided just to unpack her PJs since she wasn't going to be using her own clothes during her stay at the castle. There was no point in unpacking further. Perhaps when she spent her second week on her own estate. She sighed as she gently placed her pack next to her bed. The responsibility of the situation still frightened her. She was going to be responsible for a large parcel of land and the welfare of the people inhabiting it.

Deciding she didn't want to worry about that, she made her way over to the large french windows and stepped onto the balcony. She gasped at what she saw. It wasn't just that the Labyrinth was breathtaking, but she could make out lush grass fields out side the outer walls. The last time she had been here, there had only been desert. She made a mental note to ask Jareth about it later.

Then figuring she needed to get ready before Jareth returned, she walked towards her closet. Dresses, shirts, leather jackets, and cloaks lined the walls. There were a couple of dressers, one containing numerous pairs of leggings. As Sarah was going through them, she noticed the pants Jareth had dressed her in back in the library. Another set of drawers contained various cinchers. Looking around the room, Sarah noticed a lack of vests. Apparently Jareth preferred something that would make her breasts jump up.

She found the crown jewels in a set of drawers at the center of the back wall. Sapphires, diamonds, emeralds, and various other gemstones encased in gold and silver were prominently displayed.

'_I am never, ever borrowing these,'_ she thought. _'I'd be too afraid of something happening to them. Though that could be Jareth's plan. I lose or damage them then, I'd be in his dept. Or he could just be trying to be nice. He hasn't done anything to make me not trust him…well not since I won, at any rate. Except for that collar and leash thing...what kind of sex games does he play? Argh, Sarah, get your head out of the gutter! That offer was a trick. He didn't mean it. He couldn't have. Immortal Fae king and fifteen year old brat? No way he meant it.'_

Sighing, Sarah made her way to the washroom. Her jaw dropped when she entered. The floor was marble, and the tub was the size of a small pool.

"Finished unpacking?" asked a sultry voice.

Sarah jumped and turned to face the Goblin King. "It's a bathroom, you're supposed to knock!"

"The door was open," he chuckled.

Sarah looked past him. The door was indeed open. She had been so surprised by the washroom's splendour she had forgotten to close it.

"You haven't changed clothes. I suppose I'll have to do that for you."

"Now wai—"

But Sarah didn't finish her sentence as Jareth had already changed her clothes. She realised she was wearing the same outfit she had been in the library after Jareth had shown up.

"I never did get a chance to fully appreciate you in that attire. I must say, I have excellent taste."

Sarah rolled her eyes, then noticed Jareth was looking carefully at her face. He averted his gaze to her legs when he caught her looking at him.

"Very nice…" he muttered before holding out a hand. "Shall we?"

Sarah sighed and took the offered limb.

"We'll visit the kitchens first, since that is where you'll be spending a large amount of your time."

"So I'll be your new cook?" _'That doesn't sound so bad.'_

"I heard from Hogbreath that you've taken up the art. I rather like the idea of you cooking a meal for me. In addition to cooking my meals, you will be weeding in my private garden and helping out at the stables. You should consider this week a vacation: you'll enjoy mucking out the stables far more than the etiquette lessons, I'm sure."

"So nice to have something to look forward to. Will I have any free time to visit my friends?"

"You'll be sharing meals with me, which reminds me, I'll need to give you a clock. I eat at six so you will have to wake at five to prepare the meal." Sarah let out an unladylike groan. "I'll give you the seventh day, the last day as my slave, to do as you please. You may spend it with whoever you wish."

Sarah frowned at the bitter tone of voice, but said nothing. They had arrived at the kitchen which Sarah was pleased to note was well stocked and clean. The goblins were tall here, about five feet, with long muscular arms.

"Hobgoblins. More intelligent than the lot you're used to," said Jareth, reading her mind.

Sarah nodded. There weren't just hobs, but dwarfs, and a few that looked like humans.

"Two of them are human, one is an elf," whispered Jareth in her ear, smiling at the blush that covered her face.

Sarah nodded her understanding and Jareth continued.

"I'll have one of them give you a tour of the kitchen later. Come along, we go to the gardens next."

The gardens, Sarah was not surprised to see, were beautiful and full of blooms and trees she had never seen before. She wanted to explore, but Jareth complained that he was getting hungry and they still had the stables to visit. Besides, she'd have plenty of time to spend in them when she began her weeding duties.

One transportation spell later and Sarah opened her eyes to see a large field containing the stables. The 'stables' weren't really stables, but a collection of huts whose doors could be opened and closed by the inhabitants via a large deadbolt that could be easily gripped by the animal's mouths. Sarah saw a Pegasus open its door before running out onto the field and then into the sky. There were also various towers set up around the field in the middle of the field sat the tallest tower with a large window and balcony.

Sarah gaped at the sight. Unicorns, horses, Pegasuses, and even a couple of Alicorns flew and ran about the field.

"Stable is a bit of a loose term," said Jareth suddenly. "Village of four legged mammals would be more appropriate." He chuckled at the expression on her face. "The horses of the Labyrinth are fairly intelligent, not quite on the same level as their more magical neighbours, but more so than most goblins, though I suppose that's not saying much."

Sarah smiled despite the words. There was a hint of affection in the king's tone when he spoke of his subjects. The teen returned her attention to the field before her.

"It's amazing. Am I going to be responsible for cleaning all the huts?"

"No, precious," he chuckled. "Just five. Come, I'll show you which."

First, he led her to a small hut just off to the left. It was a little on the dingy side with a couple holes in the roof. Jareth looked up and frowned before waving his hand and repairing it. He then pointed to a wooden box about four by four feet and four inches high, full of horse shit.

"There's a spell to prevent smelling. You'll receive a shovel and a bag. You'll but it in the bag, then move on to the next hut. Once you are done, you'll have to go to the wagon to drop off your bag. This stuff makes excellent fertilizer and is put to use. Come, we have four more to visit."

The next hut belonged to a Unicorn that was currently eating oats. It looked up when they entered. It bowed its head to Jareth and looked at Sarah who waved shyly at the graceful creature.

The unicorn, upon further inspection, looked like a cross between a deer and a horse. Both the head and hooves looked like something in between. The snout was shorter than a horse's, but longer than that of a deer. And the hooves were more delicate than any horse Sarah had ever seen, not that she had seen that many up close.

Jareth pointed to the litter box before bowing his head at the creature and ushering Sarah out. The next hut was the one Sarah had seen the Pegasus run out of, and the one after was huge.

"This belongs to a pair of Alicorns. It is your fourth and fifth stop as it contains two boxes."

Sarah nodded in her understanding.

"Now I'll show you the wagon where you'll be dropping off the fertilizer."

The wagon was a ten minute walk away, and that was without carrying the bag. As much as Sarah was looking forward to being around these wonderful creatures, she wasn't looking forward to carrying around their shit.

"Think you can handle it, Sarah? The bag shouldn't be too heavy."

"I'll manage, thanks for the concern. This place is beautiful. What are the towers for?"

"The towers are for griffins and Hippogrifs they tend to be good climbers so I provided them with towers." Jareth smiled and puffed out his chest. "I'm rather proud of it. It's an excellent arrangement, really. They receive safety, food, and shelter, and my army has intelligent, willing mounts."

"Do you ride the Alicorns into battle?" she asked, remembering him mentioning the wars he had fought in for the Labyrinth.

He chuckled. "No, I have something more unique. Would you like to see my mount?"

_'Do I want to see something more unique then Alicorn?'_ "Of course, I'd love to!"

Jareth began leading her to the tower. They entered through a small door at the bottom and walked up the winding staircase, and up a ladder and through a trap door.

The first thing Sarah saw was a pile of blankets, then an empty marble basin. Then she heard a hoot behind her. She turned to see an owl. Well, an owl's head. The strange thing was, the owl's head was bigger than hers. She took a few steps back and saw the creature in its entirety.

"What is it?" whispered Sarah, awe tainting her voice.

"I call it a tytogrif. It's similar to a griffin, only instead of being half eagle and half lion, it is half owl and half tiger. He was a gift from the Labyrinth. When I was heading towards the Alicorn I was planning to use in my first battle to defend the Labyrinth, Endymion blocked my path, bowed to me and motioned for me to climb on. He is my oldest friend," said the Goblin King as he scratched behind the tytogrif's wing. It made a strange half-purring, half-hooting sound. Sarah laughed and Endymion nuzzled his head against her chest, she continued to laugh as she petted him.

"He's beautiful, Jareth."

"We need to get back to the castle. Would you like to ride him?"

"Yes!"

The Goblin King laughed at her excitement, and hopped onto Endymion's back. He held out a hand for Sarah. She climbed on in front of Jareth, who waved his hands and a set of reigns appeared. He gave them a flick and Endymion ran towards the window and jumped straight off the balcony. Sarah cried out as they plummeted, but at the last second, Endymion unfurled his wings and they flew towards the castle.

Sarah held onto Endymion's neck for dear life. Jareth laughed and held the reigns in front of her. She hesitated briefly, then took hold. Jareth's hands enveloped hers and gently guided her movements. After a few moments, he leaned forward so his mouth was next to her ear.

"The reigns are mostly for show. I guide Endymion by applying pressure with my legs. You'll have to learn to ride, but we'll be starting with horses. Or maybe Unicorns."

Sarah's smile grew wider.

The ride was over far too quickly. Endymion landed lightly on her balcony. Jareth hopped off fist and helped her dismount. She noticed him glancing at her hair, and brought up her hands, running them through the unruly strands. She glared at his smirk.

"Not all of us have a hairstyle that could go through a tornado and still look the same, Jar- your majesty."

"Jareth, please, Sarah. I do so love it when you say my name."

"Alright, Jareth. I'm going to wash up a bit then we can go to lunch."

"By all means," he replied with a wave of his hand towards the washroom.

Sarah sighed, and was sure to close the door when she entered. When she stepped out again, her face and hands had been washed. Jareth eyed her, Endymion still on the balcony rotated his head 180 degrees and purred/hooted approvingly.

Jareth stalked towards her and held out his arm. "Shall we, Precious?"

She looped her arm in his as he led her to the dining hall where a delicious lunch of cold chicken, salad, some kind of juice, and a platter of fruit was laid out for them. Sarah rolled her eyes when she saw the juice was peach, but drank it anyway.

"Hedgewort tells me you were able to find a convenient excuse to get away?"

Sarah nodded. "Yes, an outdoor camp. I actually won the chance to go. I'm surprised I missed it earlier." She turned to him and smiled but the expression wavered when she saw his brows were furrowed. "Jareth? What's wrong?"

Jareth looked up and smiled reassuringly. "I'm merely surprised your power is progressing so quickly."

Sarah eyed him dubiously. "My power set a camp so I could get away from home for two weeks?"

The Goblin King nodded. "Yes, it did. You're a bard, Sarah. A type of magic user capable of manipulating and even to a degree, reconstructing the fabric of reality through story-telling."

* * *

AN: Well I hope you all enjoyed that I actuall did read a Max Haines true crime book that mentioned a 14 year old who raped and murdered a seven year old he was put on trial found not guilty and then did it again this time he was found guilty. Wanted to get that out of my head and fanfiction is very handy for that. Anyway read and review I'm encouraged to write faster when I know I have people waiting for the next chap. (Seriously this chap would have taken at least another week without so many reviews. Thanks guys and gals!)


	6. Chapter 6

**Dealing with Goblins**

* * *

**Disclaimer****: All Publicly Recognizable Characters, Settings, Ideas, etc. are the property of Jim Henson and Co. The Original Characters and Plot are the Property of the Author. The Author is in no way Associated with the Owners, Creators, or Producers of ****Jim Henson and Co**. No Copyright Infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter 06**

Sarah stared at the Goblin King for several moments.

"Could you elaborate on that?"

Jareth sighed and steepled his finger before his face as he considered his words.

"This is quite a lengthy explanation so I ask that you refrain from asking questions until I am finished. Bards are commonly placed into three levels. Low, middle, and high level. Weak bards are common, making up about two percent of your population. They tend to be very lucky, the happy and even unhappy coincidences common in stories is also common in the life of a bard. They subtly manipulate the fabric of reality unconsciously, in order to win a trip on a cruise or just a bar of chocolate, or to run into a boss or teacher on the street, after sending said teacher or employer a email saying they were going to stay home sick.

"Mid-level bards can consciously manipulate reality. Say a boy wishes to impress a cheerleader: he may experience a heightened level of athletic prowess as such a trait is common in stories. Your dog Merlin may become far more intelligent as your power grows. As I'm sure you've noticed in your readings, intelligent animals are another common theme in stories. Many animals will become smarter by being with you.

"A mid-level Bard can use spells and technology from well-loved stories, for example a laser gun toy from a popular sci-fi show can be made to truly fire lasers by a Bard, and Bards can even forge their own weapons, by making their own stories popular. But only a really powerful Bard can forge their own weapons without fostering belief and love for that one specific item. If you were a high-level Bard and wanted a magic sword, you wouldn't need to write a book describing the sword and its powers. You could use the general belief in magic swords to make one for yourself in a small amount of time.

"The more popular and loved a story is, the more powerful the items and spells for it become. For example, if a Bard writes the Elvish words for 'Speak Friend and enter' above the entrances to their home, no one will be able to enter unless they speak the Elvish word for 'friend'. Since 'Lord of The Rings' is a very popular and well-loved story, the belief and love of the it acts as fuel for the spell.

"A Bard can also grant another magic user power, again through conscious manipulation of reality, since underdogs becoming great warriors or even powerful warriors becoming even stronger when pushed to their limits are common themes in stories.

"The extremely powerful high-level Bard can create constructs of their characters. Say you have a character in your mind, you draw a picture, create a story of how they came to be. If you were a powerful enough Bard, you could bring that character to life, a being literally born from your thoughts.

"As it stands, you are a mid-level Bard, though admittedly one of the more powerful ones. Now, any questions?"

Sarah gaped at the Goblin King as she realised how powerful she could actually become.

"...How many mid-level Bards are there?"

"Not many. I'd estimate a few hundred in the entire Aboveground, and even fewer ever learn what they are, or how to utilise their power properly. As for high-level Bards, Bards capable of forging their own weapons or creating constructs...there hasn't been one in well over twenty-five hundred years."

"Oh...wow. I see what you meant when you said my power wasn't aggressive, but it's still powerful."

Jareth nodded. "Your magic puts you on equal footing with any Sidhe in the Underground. It is why the Labyrinth and I chose to give you certain powers. Well, I gave, the Labyrinth traded. It bound itself to you so it could channel the power of the Ether through you."

"The Ether?"

"Yes, the Ether. You remember the love and belief I spoke of for stories? That is called the Ether. It is the energy created by the sum of the intellect and belief of every living creature capable of sentient thought. Some Gods are born of this. Many of the Native American Gods are born of the Ether, as well as the Greek Gods. About half the Celtic Gods where born from it. Some beings ascend to Godhood through it. Such as Lugh of the Long arm. All creatures of the Underground draw power from the Ether to different extents. The more widely believed in a species of Fae is, the more power they may draw from the Ether. That works on an individual level as well. Though my ilk draw power from the Ether, it is not our only source by any means. Some Sidhe refuse to use it, preferring not to rely on humans, who are the Ether's greatest contributors, and who they view as weak for power. The first of many magical creatures were born of the Ether; most species of goblins were. You, as a Bard, can access the Ether and its power directly. You don't have any power of your own so much as you channel it. The Labyrinth wanted access to the power of the Ether, so it bound itself to you. In exchange, it gave you power."

"What does the Labyrinth want the power of the Ether for?"

"Did you notice that the desert outside the Labyrinth is no longer a desert?"

"You mean...?"

Jareth nodded. "The Labyrinth is wild magic. It seeks to grow and spread life."

"Wow."

"Yes... wow..." answered Jareth, frowning.

"Jareth?"

"Sarah, the Labyrinth...its bond to you will be irreversible in a month. If the bond is not broken, your lifespan will match my own. You will outlive your family, even if they move Underground. Their lifespan will extend to centuries, even millenia, but eventually they will age and die while you will not."

Sarah's eyes widened. She opened her mouth closed it opened it again, only to close it once more before turning to look at her plate.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked her voice calm but the strain in her voice told him she wasn't happy and just barely suppressing her anger,

"Because I want you," he replied with a shrug. "Also, I didn't see any reason to. If the bond is broken, it will hurt the Labyrinth and myself to the point where we would be weak enough to be conquered. A few months ago, perhaps the bond could have been broken without too much damage. But now..." He sighed. "Also, you've made it clear you wished to protect your family and friends. You needed the position of duchess for that, you could not have had it without the bond."

"That still doesn't explain why you didn't tell me. I would have accepted," she hissed.

"I know you would have accepted, but would still have been angry, so I waited until now because..." the Goblin King raised his hand and began counting the reason off his fingers, "One: currently I am in a position of power over you. You're my slave and bound by your word to do as I say. I herby order you not to retaliate. No shouting, punching, kicking, or screaming. Two: I haven't taught you any magic, so even if it weren't for the last order, you could not harm me."

"Wanna bet?" mumbled Sarah under her breath.

"Third: I wanted more leverage. If you break the bond now, your friends and my armies will likely go to war. Many would die. Not that I would allow the bond to be broken. Even when the damage would have been minimal."

Sarah began to rise from her seat as she glared at the Goblin King.

"You conniving, manipulative, self-serving bastard!"

"No insulting me either."

"You would use yourself and your kingdom as leverage? When this week is up-"

"You will have hopefully calmed down. You care about me and my kingdom, particularly those three friends of yours. You'd never let them come to harm. Also, no threats. And no seeking vengeance when this week is up. I'd consider doing so a breach of contract, Sarah." He smiled, "Actually I'd think I'd rather enjoy the consequences."

He rose from his seat and walked towards her, the infuriating smirk marring his otherwise perfect face.

"Come now, Precious, in return the Labyrinth has given you power. Transformation, shapshifting, and levitation all are now within your grasp. As the Labyrinth channels the Ether and becomes stronger, so will you."

He was a foot away now. He grasped her hair, twirling it in his fingers, enjoying her red face and shaking frame. He'd never seen her so angry, but she was keeping herself in check. She wasn't disobeying any of his orders.

"You know, you're very pretty when you're angry. Your eyes are so cruel, I think I'll endeavour to push your temper this coming week. I'll never get a chance to do so without facing your wrath, unless..." he tugged her hair forcing her to lean forward, "...I find a way to coerce you into becoming my slave again." His smile widened as her lips curled back and she suppressed a snarl. "But back to the matter at hand. I assure you when you turn into a bird and fly for the first time, you will forgive me."

"We'll see about that. Can you even teach me Bardic magic? Do you have any?"

Jareth shook his head, released her hair and stepped back, giving her some space.

"I have none. I am, however, well read on the subject. In theory, all you have to do is read stories, find common themes and use those themes. I've read that it helps to actually tell the story you want to occur. If you went to one of your football games, you could affect the outcome by narrating the events and saying what you desire to happen. If someone throws a ball and you say the recipient tumbles the catch before he has the opportunity, chances are, thanks to your power, he will fail. The better you are at story-telling, the more powerful you will become. I suggest you begin to study literature, what makes a story good or bad. Do you understand?"

"I think so. But the camp - the guy who started funding it began last year before I even wanted an excuse to get away. Can I affect the past?"

"To a degree, yes, but you cannot affect your own personal timeline. If you saw the player catch the ball, no amount of story-telling will change that fact."

"Wow..." Her smile turned to a smirk. "Can I move the stars?"

"No," he chuckled. "And it is doubtful you will ever have that power. Sorry, Precious. Now, sit down and eat everything on your plate. As soon as you finish, I'll escort you back to the garden. Higgle should be there, he'll tell you what to do."

"You mean I get to work with Hoggle?"

Jareth's eyes narrowed at the joy in her voice. "Yes, you get to work with Hogshout."

Sarah rolled her eyes, wondering if he realised how immature he seemed when he purposely got Hoggle's name wrong.

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Jareth escorted his temporary slave to the inner courtyard where the irritating dwarf was working.

"Hoggle!" shouted Sarah, running towards her friend and kneeling on the ground. She threw her arms around him quickly, gracing the little scab with a kiss to the forehead before Higgle could protest. The dwarf began pushing her away.

"Awwww, don't kiss me, don't kiss me!"

Sarah leaned back on her knees. "You don't like my kisses."

"They're bad luck for me." _'For anyone other than Jareth,'_ thought Hoggle. "Besides, we got work to do. You're working under me now, and don't expect me to go easy on you just 'cause we're friends."

"Of course not, Sir," replied Sarah with a mock salute and smile. The teen turned to the Goblin King only to find him gone.

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Jareth groaned as the vial he had just poured a red liquid into turned brown and started to smoke. He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. He hated this room. Every time he came across an object meant for use in the black forbidden arts of his people, he always stored it here. It was where he preformed such work when it needed doing.

"I'd thought you retired this room, Jareth."

The Goblin King suppressed another groan and turned to see the Labyrinth. Its personification.

It wore a silver tunic and black leggings, brown boots and that irritating smirk that put his own to shame. It was a handsome face, though androgynous to say the least. It was impossible to tell if one was talking to a man or woman.

The Labyrinth appeared to be about forty years old by human standards. Its age always varied.

"I had hoped to, but then you bound me to Sarah. If she refuses to return my love, I will still need to marry her in every sense."

"Not true. Killing her is an option."

"No," he hissed, "it isn't."

The Labyrinth cocked its head to the side.

"It's not? Seems preferable to you ripping a piece of her soul out and binding it to your own. I wonder what she would do if she knew you were making arrangements to mutilate her very being."

Jareth turned back to his vials.

"She'd probably yell, and scream, and throw things for good measure. I'm surprised you are willing to kill her. She is a power source for you."

"Hmm, yes, an excellent one. But if she is useless to me, there is no point to her existing any longer."

"You care nothing for her?" snarled Jareth.

"I do, which is why I would rather she died than had her soul mauled to further my power. Are you certain _you_ care for her?"

The Labyrinth began walking towards him, but he refused to turn and meet its gaze.

"You can't kill her, or allow her to be killed because you'd never forgive yourself for it. You're planning this, so that you can sleep at night. You're not doing it for her. Or maybe..." the Labyrinth placed its hands on the Goblin King's shoulder and leaned down to whisper in his ear, "...my dark king is just that desperate to have some light in his own black soul, he'll rip it out of the woman he claims to love. Or do you want to taint her light with your darkness? Have you considered that if you do succeed, it's still a two-way street? You will have to rip out a part of your own soul to bind to hers. It would be safer to kill her."

"I will not!" shouted Jareth, rising out of his chair and turning towards the Labyrinth. "She is my fiancée, my love, and I will not slay her."

The Labyrinth bought its hand to its chin and stared condensedly at its king. "No, you'll just rip out a piece of her soul and bind what's left to a piece of yours. Yes, that is infinitely more preferable." It rolled its eyes.

Jareth turned back to his desk.

"Hopefully it won't be necessary. If she loves me, the binding won't need to be forced."

The Labyrinth smiled and bowed.

"Let us hope you succeed, my lord. Before I go, I would like to point out that you are a selfish being, not because you aren't willing to kill her, but because I gave you ample warning to sever the bond and avoid this mess. But you, my dark, selfish king, chose to let the bond progress so now here we are. Blame me for forming the bond all you like, you had a chance to stop it.

"If a being with so much light can love such a dark one as you, she'll have to realise and accept that you were willing to do that to her; to maul her soul instead of let her go. And she must be willing to allow such a black soul to bind with her own. Guess I should enjoy the power boost from the Ether while I can."

The Labyrinth vanished in time to avoid the vial of smoking brown liquid from the king's failed attempts at potion making.

"Temper, temper," echoed its voice in the room. "You're as big a brat as your queen-to-be."

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AN: Exposition dump! gods sorry guys I make you wait for people sitting around talking. And this chap is shorter then usual. Guess I'll just have to make up for it in my next chap! But I'm afraid this info really was necessary. Read and review! Please? it makes me write faster.


	7. Chapter 7

**Dealing with Goblins**

* * *

**Disclaimer: All Publicly Recognizable Characters, Settings, Ideas, etc. are the property of Jim Henson and Co. The Original Characters and Plot are the Property of the Author. The Author is in no way Associated with the Owners, Creators, or Producers of Jim Henson and Co. No Copyright Infringement is intended.**

* * *

**Chapter 07**

Sarah trudged towards her room to bathe before dinner. Her knees and hands were caked with mud; there was so much planting to do at the start of spring. She looked at her hands where blisters now rested.

"Argh, even with gloves I still got blisters and mud all over my hands. And Hoggle was so bossy. 'You need to dig deeper be sure to pull out even the tiniest weeds. Make sure you plant the right colours there'," she muttered in her friend's gravelly voice. "And then he double checked everything." She smiled at the memory. "Still, it's good he tries to get everything perfect, though I still think he's trying to pay me back for stealing his jewels and holding them ransom."

Sarah began to disrobe as soon as she closed her bedroom door, her muddy clothes forming a trail to her bathroom.

"Hmmm, I might consider moving to the Underground just for the bathroom. Too bad I have to hurry to dinner though."

When she exited the washroom, she noticed that something had been placed on her bed, her face reddened when she saw what it was.

_'He wants me to wear a French maid outfit! That's not a skirt, it's a belt! Oh God, lacy black underwear...'_

She picked up the unmentionables.

_'Wow, this is really nice...gah! Bad thought! I'm supposed to be indignant. I should tell him-... argh, I agreed to wear whatever he wants. He's probably expecting me to fight...'_

She sighed and looked at the collection of clothing once more, her face getting redder and redder as it took in the garter belt and high heels. There was also a crystal next to the note.

_Precious, you will wear this or I will magic you into nothing but a leash and collar. Either way, I will be the only one to see you thus attired. When you have changed, you need only take hold of the crystal and you will be transported to the dinning room where you will serve me dinner. Behave and I'll return the favour._

_P.S. You have until 6:30 sharp to finish dressing and take the crystal otherwise I'll come and get you personally in whatever attire you happen to be wearing. And removing anything that I haven't approved of._

_P.P.S. I would appreciate defiance in this matter, Precious._

_'Why, that no-good, lousy glitter-infused, prancing, tight pants-wearing fairy!' thought Sarah, slamming the note onto the bed. She glanced at the clock. '6:24! I swear I had more time! Jareth probably reordered time! I need to hurry!'_

Jareth did appear just as the clock struck 6:30 and Sarah was sitting on her bed having just finished putting on her shoes. She looked up at him, trying to stop the blush on her face that was rising from the lascivious pout he was giving her.

_'Glitter, tights, high-heeled boots, and now a pout. These things are not supposed to be sexy or regal on a man. How does he do that, and why do I get the feeling Sarah Williams is on the menu?'_

"Sarah, you followed my instructions perfectly..." he sighed and his shoulder slouched in disappointment.

"I agreed to, didn't I?"

"So you did. Take my hand, Precious."

Sarah did and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she found herself and the king standing next to a small table with two chairs.

"Pull out a chair for me. The table has already been set since you are unfamiliar with etiquette. There's a trolley next to the door that holds the food for the evening."

Sarah nodded and pulled out one of the chairs. Jareth sat and she pushed it in before walking towards the door, grateful she had played dress-up in heels a few times. Even still, the shoes she had been given were difficult, and she nearly tripped twice on her way to the trolley. She could hear Jareth snicker each time.

Once she pushed the trolley over to the table, she removed the lid of the tray to find two plates of steak. She placed one in front of Jareth then the silverware before placing the remaining plate in the space opposite him and sitting down.

"Thank you, Precious," said Jareth, before tucking into his meal.

When he looked up from the food, he saw that Sarah had stopped eating and was hugging her chest, hiding the exposed cleavage.

"Something wrong, Precious?"

"I...el...er-"

The Goblin King chuckled. "I'm sorry, Precious, could you repeat that? A bit louder?"

"I feel like a stripper."

Jareth stopped smiling.

"Apologies, Sarah."

He stood, somewhat annoyed with himself for forgetting that her experience with males was so limited. She spent weekends playing princess in the park, instead of spending time with girls her own age, much less boys her own age and of course, an innocent like her would be uncomfortable in such clothing. He formed a crystal in his hand and walked towards her. She stared at him warily as he weaved the sphere across his hand. He stood over her and let it fall gently onto her head.

When Sarah looked down, she saw that she was now wearing a simple light green dress that fitted her like a second skin. It fell off her shoulders and still showed a bit more cleavage then she was comfortable with, but she no longer felt like a stripper.

Jareth gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable, Precious. Never hesitate to tell me if I ever do so again."

He took his seat again and continued to eat. The meal continued in silence. Jareth finished first and, intertwining his fingers, rested his chin on his hands and stared at Sarah, a smile on his lips.

Sarah shifted awkwardly in her seat and tried to hurry through the meal.

"Be sure to save room for dessert, Precious one," suggested Jareth.

The stare he was giving her made her wonder if she was on the menu once more. She swallowed, sat back, and gave her plate a small push, signalling that she was done.

Jareth gestured to the trolly. "Clean up and join me on the couch."

Jareth chuckled when Sarah, twenty minutes later, still hadn't finished placing the dishes on the trolly.

"Are you avoiding me, Sarah?"

"No," squeaked the teen.

"You have ten seconds to finish before I carry you over to the couch. And once I have you in my arms, you won't be leaving them anytime soon."

There was a clatter of dishes, and five seconds later Sarah was sitting as far from Jareth on the couch as she could.

"My, how quickly you move when given the right incentive," whispered the Goblin King.

He waved his hand at the coffee table next to them and a platter of fruit appeared. Peaches, strawberries, grapes, and raspberries, all looking succulent. There was also a small knife next to the platter.

Jareth leaned back. "Now, Precious, be so kind as to serve me."

He opened his mouth slightly and Sarah realised he wanted her to feed him.

She rolled her eyes. _'Little cliché, but alright, not a big deal.' _

"Any preferences to start with?"

"A peach, or raspberry."

Sarah sighed and, standing, took one of the small red fruits to give to Jareth. She contemplated dropping it down into his mouth but thought better of it realising that he would choke a bit, survive, and likely charge her with attempted regicide and put her in his dungeons where he would do horrible things to her.

_'Or just very adult things. Does little Princess wanna be a Queen yet?'_ chimed in her inner voice.

_'Quiet you!'_ hissed Sarah.

_'Just grab the knife, threaten him a bit, then apologize and tell him you need to be punished.'_

_'I just __had__ to read that romance novel last month. Never again. And shut up,'_ thought Sarah as she placed the fruit in Jareth's mouth, brushing his lips with it lightly so he'd he aware of its location.

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to work as the king's lips closed around the tips of her fingers. Sarah froze at the contact as the feeling of cool, gentle lighting tingled through her fingers, her hand, and up her arm.

_'That was just a light brush of his lips! Imagine what a kiss-'_

_'Quiet!'_

Sarah swallowed, and went for the knife. She attempted to cut a slice of peach. Two minutes later, she had managed to make a very wobbly cut in the fruit.

Jareth was barely suppressing laughter at her shaking hand and flushed face. He knew if he laughed, however, she'd become angry and likely storm off and he wouldn't have the heart to force her to stay. Not when it would give him an excuse to punish her later.

_'Then why aren't you laughing?'_ asked his inner voice.

_'Because when she's angry, or frightened, her defences are up. I like her flustered.'_

Finally, Sarah had a very ugly and slightly bruised slice of peach. She brushed the tip against Jareth's lip, and the monarch bit off a piece. Sarah sighed, and moved half the remainder into his mouth. Jareth's tongue slid out and brushed the tip of her finger before his lips closed around the fruit.

Sarah resigned herself to a long night.

And it was long for the young teen. Jareth's lips and tongue constantly brushed against her fingertips, sending small jolts of magic through her. She tried to calm herself by taking deep breath and mentally quoting Lady Macbeth, something about asking demons to unsex her and ordering out a spot of blood helped quell the feeling the king before her brought out. Two peaches, a handful of raspberries and grapes, and several strawberries later, the Goblin King sat up and stretched.

"That was delightful, Precious. Now, if you will sit down and lie back, I will happily return the favour."

"But- but I'm the slave."

"True," he told her, standing up. Sarah barely refrained from stepping back as the king loomed over her. "But it pleases me to serve you."

"No thanks. I'm full- from dinner."

The Goblin King raised a brow and eyed her sceptically, but made no further comment. Instead, he raised his hand and conjured a crystal which he handed to her.

"State which room you wish to find and as long as you are allowed there, this crystal will guide you. Simply place it on the ground. You can explore the castle to your heart's content."

Sarah reached for the gift. "Thank you, your Majesty," she said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Don't stay up too late, Sarah. You've an early start tomorrow."

Sarah nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind. Goodnight, Jareth!" she shouted over her shoulder as she darted out of the room, excited to be exploring an ancient castle.

Sarah spent the next couple of hours looking behind almost every tapestry, and poking every statue and torch to see whether they would trigger a secret passage. Eventually, she did pull a torch that caused a section of the wall to her left to rotate, revealing stairs.

Sarah smiled. 'Up or down?...Mmmm down.'

Sarah, in her excitement, darted down the stairs, holding up the crystal Jareth had given her as it emitted a soft glow.

She stopped when she heard the screams.

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Jareth stepped out of his shower and reached for a nearby towel. He had needed a cold shower after dealing with Sarah. He'd been celibate for a little over a year now, and he still had trouble controlling himself. Ever since he'd seen her, her light, he'd wanted her, and none of the courtesans that were regularly sent to him for training seemed attractive. Eventually, he'd requested they stop coming. Ah, the rumours that had caused.

He was almost grateful for Simon's attack. The example he'd made out of the prince had no doubt helped to keep Sarah safe. Though he still wanted to find a human doctor to perform that wonderful sex change operation he'd heard about and sell _Simone_ to a brothel.

"Next time," he said to himself with a smile.

And he knew there would be a next time. He was too hated for it to be otherwise. It too would fail. But the would-be perpetrator would still be made an example of.

As Jareth thought of all the sadistic torture he could inflict upon his enemies, his mood continued to brighten. Until his door was thrown open banging, against the wall. By the time the Goblin King turned towards the entryway, he was clad in his regalia, and his expression was one that sent grown, hardened warriors running.

The redcap knelt before his sovereign. "Sire, you're needed in the dungeons."

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_'I should go, but...this is Jareth's dungeon...he...has he really ordered for people to be tortured like this?'_

_'Oh, come now, he tortured Simon and you didn't complain,'_ put in her inner voice.

Sarah ignored the voice as she came to the bottom of the stairs and poked her head around the corner.

_'He didn't say the dungeons were off-limits. I'm the Grand Duchess of the Goblin Kingdom. I...serve him now. I could probably find out a lot about him by seeing how he treats prisoners. Okay, I'll introduce myself to the guards. I'm not doing anything wrong, so there's no reason for me to hide. Right?'_ she thought as she stepped into the torch-lit hallway.

Sarah blamed her bardic powers for what happened next.

No sooner had she finished the thought, than she was shoved to the floor. Her mind processed the sound of metal on stone before she looked up at her attacker. Her eyes widened with fear.

She'd read about redcaps. A type of goblin: very fast, very strong, thick, rough skin. They wore iron boots, and their name came from the red caps they wore, which they needed to keep constantly wet with blood. If their caps ever dried, they would die.

"An intruder?" it asked in a gravelly voice. Sarah's nose crinkled. Its breath wasn't as bad as the bog, but that wasn't saying much, it was still the second worst thing she'd ever smelt.

"The new Grand Duchess of the Goblin Kingdom, actually. Kindly get off."

It gave her a toothy smile and got off her, bowing as he did so. He bent too far down, and did so quickly, never losing his grin. He was mocking her.

"My name is Sarah," she told him, trying to keep her tone friendly, holding out her hand.

"Blugeon, Miss. And the only time I take a the hand of one who is not a Goblin Army soldier is to rip it off."

His smile widened showing pointed yellow teeth.

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied coolly, retracting her hand. "I have a few questions about how prisoners are treated."

"Ooooh, do you now? What sort of questions?"

"Well-" Sarah flinched as she heard a particularly loud scream that was suddenly cut off. "What offence has to be committed in order for someone to be tortured? Surely you don't torture tax evaders."

"We do during wartime, Miss. Not paying taxes during wartime is considered equivalent to stealing food, weapons, and medical supplies from those risking their lives to protect the land. Spitting in the face of those who have fallen. We had a politician a few years ago. Spent money from the king on his house instead of updating the local library and hospital. Ten lashes a day for seven days then turned out on the streets."

"What about petty thievery?"

"A few days in the stocks, community service, or a combination of the two."

"Okay... What can you tell me about the people screaming right now?"

Blugeon shrugged. "Don't know. Screams sorta meld together after a while. Would you like a tour?" he asked sweetly.

Sarah swallowed. "Sure, since I'm here." replied Sarah her voice as steady as she could keep it.

_'If I'm responsible for a large piece of land, does that mean...does the estate Jareth gave me come with one of these?'_

Blugeon smiled down at her, which was quite a feat considering she was three heads taller than him.

"Follow me, milady," chuckled the redcap as he lead her down the corridor.

Sarah ground her teeth, but reminded herself she hadn't earned Blugeon's respect. Or that of any the redcaps.

"We've a guest," announced Blugeon as he lead Sarah into a small room with a desk, table and chairs. A couple of other redcaps were seated at the table playing cards.

"Dinner?" inquired one looking up.

"No, I'm not dinner. My name is Sarah."

"Dinner doesn't need a name."

"Are you down here because your hearing is going? Or is your hearing going because you're down here?"

The redcaps stared at her, blinking as they processed what she said. Then the one she had spoken to chuckled.

"She's not spineless."

"She has the king to hide behind," hissed Blugeon.

"I'm not hiding behind anyone," replied Sarah calmly.

Blugeon snorted.

"Can ye play cards?"

She looked at the cards on the table. They looked like a normal set of playing cards. She and her dad used play for jelly beans when she was little, and with her mom when Linda could be bothered. When Sarah had taken to acting to gain her mother's favour her mother had suggested playing poker to increase her acting skills. She'd never manage to duplicate emotions if she couldn't read them.

So, Sarah sat at the table, sure of herself. She'd fallen a bit out of practise, but still played with friends on occasion.

Half an hour later, she owed each redcap about seven steaks.

"Argh," moaned Sarah, plopping her face into her hands_. 'Note to self: a redcap's body language is different from a human's. Or redcaps are just better poker players than high school students. One or both of the two.'_

"Is the little girl upset that she lost? snickered a redcap.

"Now, now Scar," chastised Blugeon with a gravelly saccharine voice, his face contorting into a smile. "The little lady is important to our Lord, we should give her our respec-" The redcap burst out laughing.

Sarah sighed and leaned back in her chair, wondering how she could earn their respect.

Dust suddenly fell from the ceiling as the walls began to shake. The redcaps stood at attention and darted for the door, their iron boots clacking along the stone floor.

The teen followed a few steps behind, a good thing too because two of the redcaps, Scar and Blud, went flying past the door milliseconds before Sarah passed through it.

"Are you guys okay?!" shouted Sarah as she ran to where the pair lay crumpled against the wall.

"Aren't you a pretty thing?"

Sarah turned to the voice. She could see a dark-haired man covered in blood, sweat, and dirt. However, those observations came second to the fact that he only had his left arm. His right was a stub ending just above where his elbow should have been. The stub was cauterized: red and blistered. And clutched in his left hand was Blugeon's throat with the man's sharp nails digging into the redcap's thick skin, drawing blood.

"Why would Jareth have such a pretty young thing here in the dungeons?"

Sarah crouched to the floor, then sprang forward. She threw out her hand, throwing the dirt she had gathered from the floor when she had knelt. It hit the creature's face, and he dropped Blugeon, momentarily losing his balance, which was all the opening Sarah needed to force him to the floor with her tackle.

_'When you're in a fight,'_ _came the voice of Sarah's PE teacher, who had held a self-defence workshop a couple months pior, 'your best chance is to follow the advice of Admiral Jackie Fisher. _Hit first, hit hard, and keep on hitting. _As long as your opponent can move, he or she is still a threat. Don't stop hitting until they stop moving.'_

_'Are you saying we should kill them?" Angela had asked, raising her hand._

_'I'm saying it's better to be judged by twelve than carried by six.'_

Sarah coiled her fist back and drove it into her opponent's face.

"Gah!" yelped Sarah as she pulled her hand back and cradled it to her chest.

"Hahaha, a human? Trying to punch a vampire? Oh..." chuckled the vampire as he rolled, pinning Sarah beneath him, clutching her throat with his only hand. His legs pressed against hers. Sarah raised her left hand and brought it towards his face.

"I thought we established that you can't-" Sarah clawed at his eyes, hoping they were vulnerable. "Argh! Brat!"

He yelped, pulling back, and releasing her throat. He grabbed both her wrists, eliciting another cry of pain from Sarah as he pressed her now broken right hand against the hard floor. He snarled at her, showing his teeth. Sarah let out a giggle when she saw he was missing his fangs. He looked ridiculous without them.

He started crushing her wrists. This time, Sarah managed to stop herself from making any noise, but the pressure was building, and a few seconds later, a whimper escaped her.

"I'm going to break every bone in your bod- Gah!"

"Blugeon?" whispered Sarah, her throat raw from lack of air as she looked up at the redcap who had jumped onto the vampire's back and plunged his fingers into the creature's eyes. If Sarah wasn't so distracted by the pain in her wrists and throat, she might have been grossed out at the sight, as blood dripped from the vampire's eye sockets onto her face.

"The king will be here soon, Milady!" shouted Blugeon as the vampire reached back, grabbed the redcap's neck, and flung him down the corridor.

"The king is here now," came Jareth's clipped voice.

Sarah craned her neck to see Jareth cradling Bludgeon in his arms. He glared at the vampire who went flying into the wall.

"Victor, how did you get lose, I wonder?" asked Jareth as he knelt down to gently sit Blugeon against the wall, never taking his eyes off his opponent.

"You should have better shackles. The ones you gave me were rusty," hissed the vampire.

"Were they?" asked Jareth, casually forming three crystals and rotating them in his hand.

He tossed one at Sarah's right hand, and one to her left. Both disappeared immediately. The other landed on her chest. Jareth glanced at her briefly as it rolled and settled under her chin before disappearing. As each crystal disappeared, a warm, tingly sensation enveloped Sarah's wounds, relieving the pain. She held up her right hand. It was still red, and was already starting to bruise.

"Your broken hand will take a couple of days to heal, Sarah. Be careful not to put any weight on it," said Jareth before returning his full attention to Victor. "I shall have to have my staff look into updating the dungeons. In the meantime, I know the perfect Oubliette for you." Jareth smirked as he tossed a another crystal at the vampire's chest.

By now Sarah was standing, staring at where the Victor had been. Remembering the redcaps, she looked for them. Scar was nowhere to be seen, and Blud was crouching next to Blugeon.

"Sarah, we need to talk," whispered Jareth, suddenly standing next to her, his hand on her shoulder.

Sarah blinked, and they were standing in his chambers next to the couch in front of the fireplace where she had fed him earlier.

"Sit," commanded Jareth, not bothering to look at her.

She sat.

"You endangered my goblins, Sarah. Granted, they're a strong lot, but I won't tolerate that from anyone, least of all you. All your chores are cancelled. You will not be cleaning stables, you will not help Hedgewart in the garden. You will remain in your quarters and study bardic magic. You will not leave you rooms for any reason. Do you understand?" he asked turning to face her.

"I didn't do anything wrong!" shouted Sarah, jumping to her feet.

Jareth raised one of his wing-shaped brows.

"Truly, you did nothing? Tell me, Sarah, what were you doing in the dungeons?"

"I was curious about how you treated prisoners. You didn't say they were off limits"

"I see. You discussed such matters with my guards?"

"Yes."

"And how did that go?"

"It went fine."

"They answered your questions? And that was all?"

"We played poker."

"Did you win?"

"I owe each of them about seven steak dinners."

Jareth gave a small chuckle. "Did you enjoy their company?"

"They were fine," huffed Sarah, wondering what he was getting at.

"No complaints? None at all? They weren't rude?"

"Well, they were a little, but it's not a big deal."

"I see..." Suddenly his face was inches from hers. Sarah was startled but held her ground. "Tell me, Precious, what were you thinking about just before Victor escaped?"

"I... I was trying to think of a way to earn their respect."

"Really?" purred Jareth, his smile becoming murderous in its maliciousness. Sarah stepped back, her leg hitting the couch. She collapsed onto the piece of furniture, and Jareth placed a hand on either side of her head as he stared down at her.

"Yeah..." replied Sarah meekly.

"Well, I'd say you have it. You fought by their side, admirably. If Blugeon's attitude is any hint."

"What...what are you saying?"

"I'm saying you need better control over your magic. You're the reason Victor got loose."

Sarah opened her mouth to say something before realising she had nothing and closed it.

"After your tenure as my slave is finished," continued Jareth, "I won't have the authority to confine you to your quarters, unless you break a law. In the meantime, as I said, you will not leave your rooms, nor will you have a day off to explore the Labyrinth."

"Jareth, you can't confine me to my rooms for a whole week. That's not- I didn't do it on purpose."

"No matter," replied Jareth with a wave of his hand. "I will escort you to your rooms and you won't leave them. Nor will you receive visitors aside from myself when we dine together."

"What if I don't want your company?"

"Irrelevant," replied Jareth, standing straight and shrugging nonchalantly. "You will do as you are told. If I order you to sit and make polite conversation, you will do so."

Sarah gritted her teeth. "Look, Jareth, I know I agreed to be your slave, but you can't force me to 'make polite conversation' with you."

The Goblin King laughed. It was a deep, resonating sound that reminded Sarah of drums. He gently trailed a finger along her jaw.

"Precious, you entered into a magical contract with a Fae king. I can make you do anything so long as it doesn't negate the terms of our deal. Do you require an example of the power I currently wield over you?"

He leaned forward to whisper into her ear.

"Sarah, stop breathing."

And she did.


End file.
